


Caring for the Captain

by FiredUpAuthor, minnieears



Series: Catastrophe Clones [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, F/M, Hurt CT-7567 | Rex, Love At First Fight, Protective CT-7567 | Rex, Romance, honestly I am just not ready to say goodbye to these two, lovers to strangers to lovers, there will be pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 33,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27984261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiredUpAuthor/pseuds/FiredUpAuthor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnieears/pseuds/minnieears
Summary: Set one year after the events of Saving the Senator, you are serving your second term as the Senator of Batuu. A familiar face attacks the Senate building, leading to an unexpected though not unwanted reunion with Captain Rex. While things have changed drastically over the course of the year, you find that there is still a place for him in your hectic life.This is a sequel, so I highly suggest reading Saving the Senator first, however, I will provide context if you decide to read this as a stand alone.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Original Female Character(s), CT-7567 | Rex/Reader
Series: Catastrophe Clones [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040209
Comments: 125
Kudos: 95





	1. Unexpected Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all I told ya the Senator would be back, this time more badass than ever! I will be providing a brief recap of Senator in this note, however, if you are coming to me from that fic you know how it goes! 
> 
> It all began with an attack on the Senate by Cad Bane, prompting your escape alongside Rex, Fives, Jesse and Kix. Throughout your time, you began to foster a relationship with the by the books Captain finding that there was much more to him than meets the eye. Following a brutal attack on your home planet, Rex saves you from execution, however, a spy managed to escape the battle and is still a constant fear in your life. Oh, and you have a kid now which further complicates things.

‘“Morning Senators,” the all too familiar modulated voice of Cad Bane sounded out following the abrupt blaster fire. I cursed under my breath, turning from the impromptu meeting we had been having in the grand lobby. 

It had been a year since Geonosis, a full year since the last time I had even spoken to Rex and, of course, once again the Senate was under attack. I was more irritated than scared this time as the blue Bounty Hunter rounded the Senators, including myself, further into the lobby forcing us close together as his crew counted the hostages. Padme and Bail stood close to me, attempting to help me shield my son from the absolute chaos around us. Nearby Jai Yang was glaring at the man as though she would single handedly save us from the crew. I frowned, despite my respect for the woman, secretly hoping my son's father would be one to save us. 

Of course, the one time I decide to bring the baby to work to meet my friends Cad Bane decided to make his presence known, I thought to myself as the man circled the small crowd. If my baby had not been strapped to me, I likely would have punched him, like Fives had taught me, just to let some of my frustration out. 

Padme had been the last Senator to arrive along with Bail, the two already discussing the meeting we were meant to be having in the lobby before the vote. The Bounty Hunters had made quick work of rounding us together. The body of the only Senator to stand up to them lay crumpled on the floor in front of us, an unspoken warning of our fate should we attempt anything. Bail and Padme stayed close to me as the Bounty Hunters moved through the crowd, collecting our communication devices. I handed over my comm link without argument when he reached me and the Bounty Hunter paused. 

“Ah, Senator, long time, no see,” His voice tore through me, my every instinct telling me to run. I still had frequent night terrors about the last time I had come face to face with the monster before m. “I see you have every reason to behave this time around.” Gesturing to the baby I recoiled, pulling my son protectively against my chest. 

“You will not hurt my child,” I snarled, Jai took a step closer, showing her willingness to help me. The Bounty Hunter laughed, his modulated voice piercing through the poignant silence that had fallen around the room.

“I have no intention of harming you or the little creighton, so long as our demands are met.” Around us the power flickered, menacingly, before slamming off abruptly. 

Someone had cut the power to the wing, effectively isolating us from the rest of the world. Obviously the Bounty Hunter had learned from his last invasion of the Senate. He moved on to Padme but I felt Bail touch the small of my back. 

“Stay close,” he muttered. “Padme seems to have something up her sleeve, just hang tight.” I inclined my head my head in understanding but said nothing. The less these Bounty Hunters noticed my presence the better. No sooner had our exchange ended when the Bounty Hunter began firing wildly at the rafters. 

“Skywalker," Bane snarled. “After him.” 

Padme feel back from where the Bounty Hunter had been holding her, coming to stand next to us. Out of the corner of my eye I noted Senator Yang fidgeting with her sleeve slightly.

The Bounty Hunters were communicating loudly, apparently the General lacked his weapon. I groaned, Rex had always said his General was reckless and I was starting to believe him. I pulled my baby in tightly to my chest, hoping beyond all reason Skywalker had at least found a way to get a message out to his unit. 

"The lightsaber," Padme muttered to Bail. “I have it.” 

I gave her a look, she must truly think we are all stupid to not realize she was involved with Skywalker. Bail shot me a look, likely understanding my glare.

At least we had a weapon, I decided, turning away from the two. I tuned out the conversation around me, mentally trying to find a way to protect the baby, I did not care why the Bounty Hunters were here I only cared that they spared us. I sighed. 

After what felt like hours, there was motion at the far side of the room, and I rose expectantly, hoping for good news. I let out a slightly groan when I saw what was coming. 

The Jedi was dragged into the lobby and I all but cried. There went any hope of an escape. Padme left my side, causing Bail to shift slightly, Jai quickly took Padme’s place blocking me from direct view. 

"Just keep your head down," he said softly. "It's under control." While we were all in danger I believe that my friends were most worried about the baby, which settled me slightly. We settled on the floor, huddled together tightly. 

The Bounty Hunters began moving around the room, setting charges on all the pillars I shared a look with Organa. 

“This isn’t looking good," I settled further and loosened the carrier I had been using to support the baby. 

The blue fabric which matched the dress I was wearing fell back revealing the his peaceful face. I smiled remembering when Rex had given it to me, incredibly grateful there had been enough to make both items. 

“They have no intention on letting us go," he agreed. I looked at him. 

“I need to find a way to protect-," Bail nodded and it was Yangi who spoke next.

“When they leave we will huddle around you, hopefully enough of the charges will be blocked by us that he’ll be ok.” My friends gentle voice was filled with resolution and I nodded. Feeling immense affection for the young woman. 

“Senators, Jedi, I bid you all a most respectful farewell,” Bane called out after warning us of the lasers. The Bounty Hunters left swiftly leaving nothing aside from their detonators behind. 

The moment they were out of view, Padme dropped to her knees and attempted to rouse the still unconscious Jedi. Around us the bombs engaged. 

We were screwed. 

“What are you looking so sad about,” Skywalker groaned, finally sitting up. There was a collective sigh of relief as he rose, hope returning to the fearful group around me.

“The bounty hunters said we should just sit here. So I think we should just sit here.” I rolled my eyes, unsure which of my coworkers had spoken so stupidly. Jai chuckled at my expression, eyeing the Jedi curiously as he rose. 

"Well,” the General seemed to already have a plan, “that’s not a very good idea.” 

Padme handed him his lightsaber as the bombs clicked once again. He immediately began cutting a large hole in the ground beneath us and the others huddled close to me. 

I pulled my son in close to my chest, listening to the high whistle of the timers. Kissing the top of his head I allowed the others to huddle in close. 

Hopefully our bodies would provide some padding, as Jai had initially suggested. Time slowed as I felt the floor disappear from beneath us. Above our heads the sensors squealed and an explosion sounded overhead. 

Our bodies were thrown everywhere and I somehow managed to land on my back, still holding tightly to the infant. Immediately, jai helped me to my feet.

The far doors of the chamber were thrown open, flashes of red and blue filling my vision. I looked down at my still sleeping child, pleased to note he appeared unharmed. 

“Cuyan,” A clone all but barrelled into me. His helmet unrecognizable despite the familiarity of the greeting. The man pulled his helmet off revealing a tattoo across his temple of the number five. He paused, pulling back from me slightly. “What is that?” 

“Fives,” I sighed, simultaneously pleased to see him and terrified of the rest of my evening. “This is my son, Cassian Rex.”


	2. Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Y'all! I hope you are all enjoying this new work! I decided to get the reunion chapter up now while I work out some of the finer details! 
> 
> As always any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated! This work has a lot of room for growth and improvement so if you have something you want to see, please do not hesitate.

Fives glared at me for a moment, an unreadable emotion spreading across his face. Looking behind me I noticed Jai was speaking to one of the Corouscant Guard, though I had no idea his name. 

"Cuyan," Fives' voice was significantly more muted as I turned back to him. "Please tell me you're babysitting."

"Fives-" I started, but Kix soon appeared next to me, all but dragging me away from my once brother. He did not speak to me as he ran a scan over my body. 

"You're going to be sore for a few days," he snapped. He held his arms out for a moment, expectantly. "I will need to examine the infant by hand." I nodded and handed Cassian to Kix.

"It's good to see you," I said softly. Kix simply nodded once, turning abruptly to place my son on a small table nearby. I turned back to where Fives had once been but noticed he was speaking quietly to another clone who turned abruptly towards me.

"Senator," Jesse approached me quickly. His armor was significantly more decorative since the last time I had seen him, as Fives' had been. I wondered if they had received a promotion. 

"Jesse," I smiled widely. 

"The Generals will want to take your statement," he said quietly. I nodded, feeling as though a wall had been built between me and my friends. I deflated slightly realizing that they likely no longer viewed me as such. 

Kix continued looking over the baby as I gave my statement to Generals Skywalker and Kenobi. I kept anxiously looking over my shoulder as we spoke, nervous to have him so far from me. The Generals appeared to note my anxiety and kept my interview short, which I appreciated greatly. 

“Completely unharmed,” His informed me, handing me Cassian gently. He was all business in his speech but gave me a knowing look. 

"He's a beautiful child," Kix said gently, winking slightly. I smiled, realizing Kix had caught on immediately. I nodded at him confirming his suspicions, which seemed to please the clone. Holding the baby close to my chest I smiled, at least one of my friends knew the truth now. 

“In that case, my Captain will walk you to your offices.” I turned to argue but Skywalker gave me a look that told me there was nothing I could say to change his mind. I nodded in affirmation, resigned to having to face Rex shortly. 

Rex all but materialized next to him, his familiar helmet facing away from me. He exchanged words with the General before gesturing to me to follow. 

We exited the chamber silently and entered the lift. Rex did not look at me as we went, his gaze boring into the metallic doors. The baby cooed in my arms and I hushed him, not wanting to further irritate the man.

I took a moment to give Rex a once over. He looked much the same as he had the last time I had seen him, his armor showing his toned physique had only improved in the long months since we had said goodbye in my offices. 

“It seems like we only get to see each other when I’m nearly dying,” i attempted to joke with the man I had been in love with for over a year now. He made no sound and did not react in any way to me, pointedly looking ahead as we ascended. 

I shifted the baby in my arms, noting he was getting rather heavy in his third month. The doors opened and we exited to my floor. Rex was all but jogging ahead of me. This is not the reunion I had envisioned in my head, though a small part of me hoped his coldness was due to the presence of the baby. Perhaps he still cared for me as I did for him. 

He opened my doors and I brushed past him, deciding that his cold demeanor answered nothing. I was resigned to the fact that we would not be getting back together. 

I began to accept that I had lost the only man I had ever love was lost to me as I had assumed the moment he closed that door behind him. 

I smiled slightly noting the small image if the two of us still hung over my fireplace. I had saved it from the holonet days after I had returned to my role. It served as the only remnant of him in my life, aside from the small baby in my arms. 

The image was slightly distorted but showed the two of us standing back to back, blasters drawn, on Geonosis. The image had been used in multiple propaganda campaigns since last year but I still loved it the same. The strength of our united front gave me hope that our son would do amazing things, someday. 

“Who?” He snapped at me as the door closed behind him, I jumped, having expected him to leave without so much as a word. “Who’s baby?” I turned slowly, my heart rate jumping. This was the moment, I realized. I held the boy closer and steadied myself, waiting for the painful sting of rejection. 

‘Rex,” I started. He tore his helmet off, his eyes wild. He had the same look he had on Geonosis, the moment he told me he loved me. I gasped slightly noting the fine lines beginning to form around his eyes, Rex appeared older despite the short time which had passed since we last met. 

“Please, Cyar’ika,” he looked almost broken, his eyes focusing on Cassian as he spoke. I took a deep breath.

“Yours.” I said. My eyes welling up. I knew what was coming but attempted to remain calm. He had a duty after all. Rex took a step closer to me, I could see his arms shaking at his sides. 

“What’s-”

“His name is Cassian Rex. since you don’t have a last name I used your first,” I looked up and for a moment thought Rex was angry. His face was tense, his eyes narrowed so tightly I doubted he could even see me. 

For a moment, Rex moved his jaw as though he was attempting to speak, his breath sharp despite the lack of words. Then he moved forward and wrapped me tightly in his arms, the baby pressed between our bodies. 

“Why didn’t you tell me,” he asked softly. 

“I didn’t know how, I didn't know how to communicate with you and you left so quickly after Geonosis and-” Rex pressed his lips to mine, stopping the words from spilling out of my mouth. He pulled back. 

“I’m sorry,” his voice was hoarse with unspoken emotion. “I’m never going to do that to you again. I have the night off. Would it be alright if I came back and we talked about everything?” I nodded and Rex slowly pulled back.

“Wait,” I reached out and Rex froze. “How so I know you’ll actually return?” Rex smiled slightly. He handed me a comm from his belt. 

“This will link directly to me no matter where I am in the galaxy. I will never be more than a call away." I took the comm and placed it on my desk. 

"Come as soon as you possibly can," I said softly. "We obviously have much to discuss."


	3. The Boys- Rex's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all thank you so much for the overwhelming positive response to this fic! I greatly appreciate all of you who are bearing with me on this one! 
> 
> Anyway here's some Rex for your consideration!

My brain was completely blank as I left her office. 

I had a son.

Not only did I have a son, I had a son with a Senator, with my senator. 

I could not decide if the thought made me happy or nervous, but I found I did not care. Today had been the single most chaotic of my short life. From the call from Fox about hostages in the Senate building to seeing her among those trapped by the Bounty Hunters I had barely even thought, instead acting on instinct. For the first time in a year I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I had not even noticed the child in my rush to save them, only knowing that I needed to speak to her the first chance I got. I had wanted to apologia for my mistake in leaving her. I had been a fool at the time and she had needed to know that. 

I had not noticed anything out of the ordinary until Echo had paused, staring at my cyar'ika.

"Why does she have a baby," he asked slowly, his posture giving nothing away. My entire world had stopped in that moment, my heart stopping once again when it had only just restarted.

She had moved on, or so I had thought. 

I took a deep breath as I exited the lift, adjusting my helmet on instinct, knowing I was moments away from a barrage of questions. 

The men were all but rioting when I returned from the office. Fives was screaming, holding up the same image I had seen in the Senator’s apartment. I smiled slightly remembering the almost reverent placement of the photo, she obviously had not forgotten me. The thought pleased me greatly. 

Suddenly, the multiple times I had requested transfer to Fox’s unit did not seem so ridiculous. My constant requests causing Fox to change his number on multiple occasions, in an attempt to avoid me. 

"Rex, you are far too accomplished in battle to take a Senate positon," Fox had snapped at me as recently as last week. 

I had never stopped thinking about the Senator from Batuu and I had never stopped trying to get back to her. 

“She has a baby now,” for once Fives did not seem amused, but rather upset. I smiled slightly realizing that Fives was likely torn between happiness his friend had made a new family and hurt on my behalf. His own somatic life had stabilized over the last year, much to my annoyance at the time. “After everything they went through she moved on.” 

I entered the room fully, loudly making my presence known, I would not allow them to make assumptions about her or her loyalty in front of me. The men immediately fell silent. Fives and Echo, who were both inexplicably were standing on tables, were surrounded by Kix, Jesse and some of the others huddled around. They all turned to stare at me, their faces questioning. I glared at the group, my helmet hiding the stare but they appeared to get the message. 

“You all know your duties,” I snapped. Some of the younger clones took their cue and filed out, leaving only Jesse, Fives, Echo, and Kix with me. I groaned and sat down on the edge of their table, too exhausted by my day to even question why they had it. 

I began fidgeting with the pendant I had welded to my pauldron. The blue gem had brought me comfort for the past year and I found it continued to do so now. I had finally returned to my cyar’ika and she had brought another into my limited circle. I touched the piece lightly, allowing the carved edges to catch on my gloves. The others had warned me not to use it on my armor as it weakened the integrity of the piece but I had wanted to keep something of my own with me in the face of death.

She had been there with me through it all, even though she had no idea. 

“Sir,” Kix was the first to speak. “I examined the child, he’s all but identical to a young clone.” I nodded. 

“That’s because he’s my kid,” I smiled as I spoke. I had a son, with the woman I had been dreaming about, the thought nearly making me giddy despite the glaring issues. 

I put my head in my hands still processing the fact I had a child. A small part of me was pleased at this, secretly I had always wanted a family. Another much larger part of me was terrified. If anyone found out outside of this circle of brothers it was likely I would be Court Marshalled and my son would be taken for experimentation by the Kaminoans. 

They have been unsure of our ability to procreate and the influence that our advanced genetics may have on the child. If his identity was found out it was likely view Cassian as yet another test subject, as they viewed my brothers and myself. Fives whooped with laughter as I contemplated the best way to shield my son from that fate. 

“Are you trying to say we’re all uncles,” he seemed entirely too pleased with himself, his grin slowly spreading. I shot him a look.

“I’m saying quiet down before the Generals hear you,” I snapped. “You know having a family is not allowed.” Fives shrugged.

‘Who are we gonna tell,” he smiled widely. “We have to get some presents for the Senator.” Beside him the others nodded, all clearly pleased with this development. Jesse pulled out his credits, and I mentally made note he had far more than our limited pay provided. I would ask him about that later, I wanted to provide for my family the best I could and we did not get paid by the Republic outside of a limited stipend to buy food from time to time. I shot them all looks, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop them at this point. 

"Behave yourselves," I snapped, eyeing Fives and Jesse in particular. Echo chuckled beside them, sending a chill down my spine. I always forgot how mischievous he could be given his more subdued nature. 

"Cody was looking for you," Jesse smiled. "You should go find him, we have things to attend too."

"Things?"

"Nothing to worry about, sir," Fives cut in. "Just need to plan, stuff."

"Lots of stuff," Echo added. 

I rose to my feet noting that the generals had already left to speak to the Chancellor. I decided it was best to ignore the ridiculous looks I was receiving. I had barely risen when I caught a glimpse of Cody's helmet. I waved to him, jogging across the open floor to meet him.

“How is your Senator doing,” he asked by way of greeting. I smiled, still feeling completely numb. 

“Well, she is unharmed and so is her child,” I said simply. Cody froze comically, his gait stopping mid-step. 

“It was HER child they were all talking about,” he had lost his jovial tone and I nodded. 

“And mine I suppose,” I shrugged. Cody grabbed my shoulders. 

“Didn’t I expressly tell you to use protection,” he was screaming now and I shoved him roughly down a different hall, one with hopefully less curious clones around. 

“Yeah well I obviously don’t listen very well,” I snapped. Cody glared at me. 

‘What are you going to do about this,” he gave me the look usually reserved for trigger happy cadets. I shrugged.

“Be a father I guess,” Cody’s glare worsened. 

“And how do you intend on doing that,” his question hung between us for a moment but I had no answer. I knew I needed to be there for my son but I had a duty to uphold.

“A lot of secrets and juggling I suppose.” Cody nodded, running a hand across his head. He nodded. 

‘I mean I’ll help of course,” he smiled then. “I always wanted to meet your incredibly irritating and not at all attractive senator after all.” i laughed remembering how many times, early on, I had complained about her and the way she had handled her escape from the Bounty Hunters. 

“I feel like I should get her a present, for abandoning her,” I confided in Cody who just nodded. 

“I mean of course she went through an entire secret pregnancy and delivery without even knowing if you’re still alive.” I hated the assured tone of his voice but knew he was right. Cody smiled. 

“I’m buying my nephew his first blaster,” he smirked, suddenly resembling Fives to an unsettling degree. I had a slight moment of panic, knowing how unhinged my brothers could be. 

"She will kill you, he’s only months old,” I snapped. Cody cackled and pulled a blaster from my belt, flipping it in his hands for a moment. 

“We weren’t much older when we first got ours,” I shook my head, holding my hand out for its return. I spun it slightly before returning it to its place.

“We have accelerated growth, he’s a big kid but nowhere near as developed as we were at that age.”

“For his sake that’s a good thing,” Cody nodded. “The Kaminoans would have a field day if they found out about-”

“Cassian,” I said simply, filling in Cody’s sentence. “She named him Cassian Rex.”

“I mean that’s not the worst name in the galaxy,” Cody snickered. “She could have been a bit more subtle.”

“She claims its a tribute to the clone who saved her life, technically he has her last name.” Cody nodded. 

“Well,” Cody sighed. “I’ll make sure to check in on them when I can, I tend to be planetside more often than you are." Cody shrugged and I was pleased to see my brother was willing to help me. 

“I would appreciate it,” I said, feeling a growing sense of calm. “I don’t want her to go through this alone.”

“Well, she’s your cyar’ika, that means we all love her,” Cody shrugged. “But if anyone outside of us learns the truth thing will get bad for you Rex, even I can’t save you from that Court Marshall.” 

"I know," I said slowly. "That's why it stays between us." Cody paused for a moment, before nodding. 

"I want to tell Wolffe," he said. I shook my head. 

"That might be the worst idea you've ever had," I snapped. "He gossips like a cadet."

"He is on an alternate schedule to ours, he might be able to check in on them when both our units are deployed."

"I don't like it."

"I think you should consider it," Cody snapped. I was saved from answering by a comm message coming through.

"Captain," Kix's voice was strained. "Hypothetically-"

"Whatever it is, the answer is no," I snapped. 

"If Jesse wanted to buy a child, where could he get one," Kix laughed into the comm. Cody and I exchanged looks, it was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a couple of quick notes today! One is a question I have gotten a few times about Jai, she is actually an OC from my friend FiredUpAuthor's Conspiracy of Norma, the two of us have been doing a bit of world building together and have been utilizing each other's characters :) 
> 
> Secondly, please check out my other works The Civvie and Shots in the Dark as they are tied to this work but follow slightly alternate storylines that you may enjoy :)

The moment Rex left I called Jai, I needed to tell someone about what had just occurred and the Normian Senator was approachable and trustworthy.

“Jai,” I sighed into the link the moment she picked up. “I have something I need to tell you but you have to swear it stays between us.”

“As always, you have my word,” the woman laughed. “But I do not have long to chat, Fox is insisting I see his medic since we fell from such a height.” I laughed, the Senator had a very similar situation to my own, having fallen for the Commander of the Coruscant Guard of all people. Though they were a bit more traditional about their relationship than Rex and I could ever be.

“It will only take a moment,” I smiled. “You know how I’ve never told anyone of Cassian’s father?”

“Yeah, Casper is a fatherless being,” Jai responded far too serious, I rolled my eyes, her ability to mess up names amazed me constantly.

“Well, that isn't entirely true. Captain Rex is the father,” I said softly. I heard a loud chuckle in the background, and sighed again. There was no point in telling Jai anything when Fox was around.

“I could’ve told you that months ago,” he laughed. 

“Did you tell him,” Jai asked me. I laughed. 

“Yeah, I just told him,” I began pacing back and forth across my office. 

“Do you want me to have Ondina check on him,” Jai’s voice became harsh, as though she had already assumed the worst. “Just say the word and she’ll have him back at your door begging for forgiveness.”

“It’s good news, Jai,” I laughed. “I just figured since half of the 501st is going to know the truth I should tell my closest friend.” Jai all but squealed in excitement at this. 

“Well, what happened, what did he say?” She was speaking so rapidly I could barely keep up. I smiled slightly recounting the events of the afternoon. Fox stepped away after a moment. 

“Senator,” he said, irritation ringing through his tone. “I kindly ask that you remind your friends that they cannot run through the underworld setting off minor explosions.”

“Minor explosions” I paused. “Fives.”

“Yeah, Fives,” he snapped. “Apparently they borrowed some fireworks from our brothers in the 104th. Jai can thank him later, I have to deal with this so she won’t have to go see the medic.” Jai and I chatted for a while longer, discussing the events of the day and the dramatic reveal of my son's true parentage. 

It was truly like something out of a story, if I was being honest with myself. 

“Let me know how dinner goes,” my friend laughed, as we ended our call. I approached the apartment attached to my office, clearing out the mess that had accumulated in the pervious months as I went. The sheer amount of toys Cassian had received were enough to fill multiple houses and I had long since given up finding space for all of it. 

After a few hours, I put the baby down for his afternoon nap deciding I would need to prepare something to eat. I paused for a moment looking into my pantry and realizing how little I had. I had seen Rex eat before, the man could pack it away like no one I had ever seen before. 

Sighing I threw together a Batuu Bake and threw it into the oven alongside some leftovers from the night before. Shrugging I realized that this was the best I was going to do.

Around nightfall I began to grow worried that Rex has still not arrived. Checking the clock for the tenth time my anxiety grew once again. Rex had never given me a time but the dinner I had prepared was almost ready. Pacing around my apartment I considered using the comm he had given me but decided against it. 

If he did not show tonight I would not contact him, I decided. This was his chance to reject us. 

A loud chatter began to grow in the hall as I paced. I ignored it assuming some of the newer Senators were using the attack of the day as a reason for going out and celebrating life. A small part of me missed those days but the soft cry from the other room reminded me that I had more important things to do than waste my time in a bar.

The deep voices began echoing together as they drew closer. Slightly confused, I began to walk towards the door to see the commotion six large individuals barrelled into my entryway. Clusters of balloons and what appeared to be poorly wrapped presents were thrown into the hall, obstructing my ability to greet the guests. 

Rex had not arrived alone as I had expected, but instead with five other clones. Carrying with them all sorts of nonsense from balloons to toys and clothes.

“Senator, if Fox asks, we are here to deliver your order from the seamstress,” Jesse yelled as he entered.

“Shots doesn’t offer delivery,” I laughed. Jesse paused for a moment, eyeing me. 

“You know Shots?”

“That’s not important now,” Kix snapped, carrying a ridiculously large stuffed… thing.

Rex came in last carrying flowers, and looking as though he was going to pass out from nerves. I gave him a sharp look and he mouthed an apology to me before wrapping me in a tight hug.

“Once they found out there was no way to stop them,” he muttered into my hair. “I told them they cannot stay long.” I nodded, suddenly grateful I had overcooked.

“I don't have room for all this stuff,” I said softly Rex simply shrugged, pulling back slightly. 

The moment Rex released me another clone took his place. Fives twirled me around the room, my feet inches off the ground as he went. He was talking the entire time we twirled, smiling widely and laughing as we launched through my living room. 

I laughed as we went, aside from Rex I had missed Fives the most. He was my brother and his jovial personality made me feel better than I had in months. Suddenly the stress of hiding my pregnancy and delivery disappeared. I had never seen someone so happy before in my life and I could not remember a time where I was either. 

‘Put her down,” Rex snapped from by the door. Fives paused for a moment, still holding me off the ground.

“Why,” he laughed. 

“Fives,” Rex’s voice was tight with irritation. Fives rolled his eyes but complied, pushing my shoulder roughly as he tended to when he was sharing a joke with someone he particularly cared about. I laughed, smoothing the front of my dress slightly as I moved to rejoin the others. 

Jesse and Kix both gave me hugs, when we approached, though they managed to let me remain standing. Echo, who had not been part of my security detail, waved at me and offered me a playful smile. 

“I had to meet him,” he explained and I nodded, understanding the feeling. 

The last clone was wearing armor painted a golden color. He stood separated from the others and for a moment I did a double take remembering the near identical armor of the escaped spy. 

“It's not who you’re thinking of,” Rex said softly, gesturing towards the last man. “He’s someone I have wanted you to meet.” 

“I’m Commander Cody,” the clone bowed slightly to me, he was incredibly formal and I found myself slipping into a senatorial role, plastering my polite smile onto my face as I bowed my head in greeting. “Commander of the 212th Attack Battalion.”

“It’s nice to meet you Commander,” I smiled warmly at the man remembering that Rex considered him to be his best friend and closest brother. Cody had a much more pleasant presence than the spy, his face slightly scarred but kind despite the sheer amount of stress he was placed under on a daily basis. 

The men all looked expectantly around the room and I smiled widely realizing just how loved my baby was.

“So,” Fives twirled around the room. “Where is my nephew?”

“I’ll go get him,’ I smiled. I gently removed myself from Rex’s side and moved further into the apartment, pausing only momentarily to place the flowers from next beside the small fireplace. 

The lights were still off in the bedroom when I arrived and I approached Cassian slowly, silently hoping he would be calm when I woke him. My son cooed as I approached before allowing me to take him in my arms, brushing his dark hair back from his forehead as I went. Bouncing him slightly as I walked, I returned to the living room, hoping that he would stay calm long enough for everyone to meet him. 

The men still stood where I had left them and I smiled slightly. Their discomfort was palpable as they shifted waiting for me to return Their uncertainty giving me some comfort as this was as unfamiliar to them as it was to me. I pulled Cassian flush to my chest, shifting his weight to one side as I used my now free had to gesture around the living space. 

“You’re not holding him unless you sit down,” I scolded them gently, letting them know to make themselves comfortable. They scrambled closer, throwing themselves into chairs and on the floor like children. I laughed and moved aside to allow Jesse to throw himself atop my window seat. 

Fives shoved Rex into an overstuffed chair, the Captain falling gracelessly. I shook my head and came to stand in front of him, bending slightly to arrange his arms. 

“Make sure you support his neck,” I gently reminded him before standing up straighter. I placed Cassian close to Rex’s torso, allowing the baby to adjust for a moment before stepping back and leaning against the far wall. The moment I stepped away, Rex’s face morphed in concentration and I noticed he appeared tense. His brow wrinkled slightly as he stared down at the baby. I observed them for a moment, noting the similarities in their expressions as they eyed one another with identical brown orbs. 

“Relax, Rex, he’s not going to break,” I smiled watching as Cassian slowly reached his hand up to grab at Rex's face. He chuckled slightly and moved to hold his hand gently, placing his thumb in the babies palm. Cassian's face broke into a large toothless smile, babbling slightly as he wiggled. Rex and I caught each others eyes, smiling widely. 

“He kinda looks like me," he said quietly and I smiled. He was identical to Rex, a fact which had troubled me greatly at first, knowing of the issues surrounding the rights of the clones. 

“You should have seen him right after he was born,” I sighed, remembering the panic of having a secret child momentarily. “He has your temper too.” Rex smiled and shifted Cassian slightly, the baby still gripping his thumb tightly. 

I turned around and noticed the others were staring intensely at the two.

“Give them a moment,” I snapped. “It’s not everyday you get to hold your kid for the first time.” The other's pointedly looked away, comically staring in all directions, Fives even going so far as to whistling slightly. Cody cleared his throat after a moment, clearly uncomfortable. 

“We have gifts for you and the baby, ma’am,” he rose to his feet, walking towards the hallway and beginning to drag the countless packages into the room. I smiled at his formality and watched as the rest of the clones followed him in the entryway to gather their things. Behind me Rex sighed.

“He’s rather big isn't he,” he seemed concerned. I laughed. 

“He’s slightly large for his age but nothing too out of the ordinary, he ages like I have.” Rex smiled at this.

"Good," Rex sighed with relief. "I was a bit worried about that when I left earlier, I hadn't gotten a good look at him."

"According to the medical droids he is perfectly on schedule for a child of my species," I smiled. "We should be safe." 

"In that case, he’s going to have the best childhood,” Rex turned his gaze from the baby back to me, smiling as though he was truly happy for the first time. I felt my eyes water and quickly collected myself, silently thankful to have Rex back in my life. Things were far from perfect, but they felt better having him back. The others returned and started handing me packages, slowly building a wall in front of me. Cody handed me a toy blaster and I chucked.

“Gotta start ‘em young,” he smiled. I laughed outright at this. 

“I do hope the war will be over long before he is old enough to experience it,” I shook my head as I spoke, placing the toy down beside me. Around the room there were nods and grunts of agreement. Cody handed me a second box. Inside was a chain with three small charms on it, one had my initial on it, the next had an R and the final had a C. I felt my eyes start to water at this. 

“That’s from Rex, but his hands appear too full to give it to you himself at the moment.” My smile widened as I turned to see the baby reaching up to play with Rex’s armor. He looked up and smiled widely, winking at me when he noticed the chain in my hand. I smiled and remembered the necklace I had worn up until Geonosis, I wondered if Rex still had it. 

Fives, Echo and Jesse handed me another package, this one significantly larger. I opened it to find an absolute mess of toys and groaned slightly. 

"Is that-"

"Shh," Fives shouted, launching himself at me. "My CO is here, he cannot know."

"Fives, what did you do," Rex snarled, Cassian growing fussy in his arms. Immediately five additional sets of eyes landed on him, Fives and Echo grabbing the toys nearest them and offering them to the baby as though he understood negotiations. 

His uncles sure did love him, of that much I was certain. 

“Well, dinner is almost ready,” I spoke slowly once we had gotten through the sheer amount of presents the men had brought with them. I was still gripping the bib Jesse had gotten for him, the signature stitchwort of my favorite Corouscant seamstress flawless as always. “Maybe Rex will let you hold the baby while I set the table."

The clones all turned expectantly to Rex who shot me a look, pulling Cassian closer to his chest protectively. He obviously was not done with his moment and I felt bad cutting it short on him. I was hoping he would have much more time later on. 

Going into the kitchen I quickly began grabbing additional table settings, noting I did not have enough that matched for all of the guests. I would have to buy more soon, given the fact I doubted the clones would be staying away for very long. I hummed quietly to myself as I arranged the table and started pulling food out. 

“So,” I jumped slightly as Kix entered the room, he gave me a half smile in apology. “How did you manage to get away with this?” 

“I hid the pregnancy for months,” I paused for a moment remembering the heavy dresses I had worn throughout my pregnancy to hide my stomach. I cringed remembering how often Padme and teased me about the heavy materials over the summer. “The only people who knew were Jai Yang and Bail Organa, because I needed help quietly finding a medical droid for the delivery. We wound up paying off one of the underworld Corouscant droids to do it.” Kix looked horrified.

“You mean to tell me you had a baby without a medical professional,” He snapped. I shrugged and Kix stared at me, his eyes nearly glazing over as he attempted to assess me. 

“I said I adopted him when word got out I had a baby,” I smiled proud of the plan I had come up with to protect my child. I had been grateful to Jai and Bail's unconditional support throughout the process, neither of them ever questioning the parentage or circumstances surrounding my new addition.

“You did all of that on your own,” Kix seemed amazed and I noticed the other clones were starting to file into the small dining room. Rex in the back, once again, cradling the baby. I walked over to him and carefully lifted him out of the Captain’s arms. 

“Yes, I did what I had to in order to protect my child,” I hoped my voice held the power I was aiming for. “I’m aware of the fact clones are not allowed to have lives outside of the GAR so I made the decision to hide everything I possibly could about him until my term in the Senate is over and I can retire to a distant planet where no one knows who I am.” The clones exchanged looks. 

“When does your term end,” 

“I have about 3 years left now,” I smiled slightly. I was ready to leave this planet, I had more important things to do than risk my life leading a planet that did not even want to be a part of the republic to begin with. The conversation shifted rapidly after that, allowing us to discuss more casual topics. The men settled around the table and I leaned against the wall holding Cassian. Rex caught my eye and gestured to the chair next to him. 

For the first time in over a year, I was content, surrounded by people who loved my child as much as I did.


	5. Coming Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all so here's the long awaited conversation with Rex!! This fic is so fun to write so I hope you all are enjoying as much as I am :)
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts or if there's anything you are hoping to see :)

“Senator,” Kix pulled me aside for a moment after dinner. He appeared uncomfortable as though something was bothering him. “I would like to ask you something.”

“What is it,” I asked, noting the tension in my friend. Throughout the meal he had watched me intently, as a doctor would his patient. I had a feeling I knew exactly what it was he wanted to discuss with me. While it had been three months since Cassian came into my life, it had not been an ideal situation and I doubted the medically minded man was particularly pleased with what I had decided to do. 

“Well, childbirth can cause some lasting damage,” he said softly, confirming my suspicions immediately. “From my limited training on the matter I know that most people need medical care in the months following.”

“I know,” I said softly. The thought had crossed my mind on multiple occasions, though there had been multiple reasons why I had avoided it for both myself and Cassian. 

“Would you allow me to, uh,-” Kix paused for a moment, contemplating how to word his request. I touched his shoulder gently, grateful my friend cared enough to offer. 

“I would appreciate it, Kix, so long as you're comfortable doing so” I smiled. “It would ease my mind as well.” He sighed with what appeared to be relief.

“If only Rex was as easy to convince,” he smiled. “I can't tell you how many times in the past year I have had to chase him down.” 

“I’ll work on it for you,” I laughed. “Let me say goodbye to the others and then you can do your thing.” Kix rolled his eyes. 

“Why would you word it like that,” he laughed, good naturedly. I shrugged, turning away from the clone and back towards the living area. Fives was holding Cassian near the door, having somehow acquired the baby from Rex. I held out my arms slightly, knowing that if the baby did not get passed to everyone they would never leave. 

I noted that Kix had pulled Rex aside, the two talking animatedly in the corner. 

“She did, what,” I caught Rex snapping at his brother, shooting me a glare. I turned from him, passing Cassian to Jesse. Knowing there was an argument brewing near my fireplace.

“(Y/N),” Rex approached me, his tone telling me he was irritated, likely with whatever Kix had told him. 

“Rex,” I responded, “That may just be the first time you’ve ever called me my first name. Am I in trouble, dear?”

“We need to talk, privately,” he looked pointedly around the room.

“After everyone leaves,” I said, not wanting to leave Cassian out of my sight for even a moment. I had been alright with it knowing Rex had him, but I was still nervous to share him with the others. The only person aside from myself whom had ever watched the baby was Jai and even that had been for very limited amounts of time. The issue of Senate had only just begun to come up as I had been on maternity leave up until the week prior. Rex shook his head. 

“Cyar’ika,” he said, significantly softer this time. “He will be safe, we’ll only be in the kitchen.”

“Fine,” I sighed, knowing that there was no way around this, especially since Rex had made up his mind already. Jesse adjusted the baby in his arms slightly, showing me that he was secure as we walked. 

“Kix told me what you told him,” Rex turned on me the moment the door closed behind us, crossing his arms across his chest, his armor shifting as he turned to give me his most stubborn glare. I nodded slightly.

“I agreed to have him give me a checkup,” I said quietly. “I know the situation wasn’t ideal but-”

“You can’t be taking risks like that,” Rex groaned. 

“The entire situation was risky,” I snapped, irritated that he was giving me a hard time over this. “I could have gotten into a lot of trouble if I had gone to the medical base and gotten help. They could have made assumptions or worse tried to take him.”

“The Kaminoans would have had no way of knowing-”

“I wasn’t worried about the Kaminoans, at the time, that concern came a bit later.”

“Then who?”

“Who was holding me hostage around the time I got pregnant,” I snapped. Rex nodded, understanding. "I'm sure the Jedi would not be thrilled to learn of a potential force wielder, even if he had not had Midichlorians, they would have started asking questions." 

“Look, I know you did what you felt you had to,” Rex came to stand in front of me. “But I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” I said softly. 

“If there’s ever a situation where you need help, I need you to promise to come to me, even if I can't be here, I can get someone to you.”

“I promise,” I said softly. “But I would like to point out I handled everything on my own, exceptionally well all things considered.”

“You did amazing, cyar’ika,” Rex smiled slightly. “You did perfectly, but I want to be here for both of you.” I nodded as a knock sounded on the door, Cody’s head appearing briefly.

“We’re going to head out,” he said quickly. “The others feel you may want some time without us to figure things out.” I laughed and nodded.

“I’ll see you all out,” I smiled at the man, following him back into the living space, where Fives had inexplicably wound up with the baby, again. I collected him from his arms and quickly escorted the group out, save Kix. Turning to Rex I handed Cassian over and followed Kix towards my bedroom allowing him to do a quick medical scan before he agreed that I was in good health.

“I could have told you that,"I laughed as we returned to Rex. Kix quickly made his exit, offering to give Cassian a checkup the next time they were planetside. I agreed grateful I could avoid the doctors for the time being.

The moment Kix was out of the door I locked my bolts in place and took a deep breath, beginning to dread the conversation I was about to have with Rex. As much as I was excited to have him back, a small part of me was concerned that he would not want to deal with the complications which came along with having a child. 

Rex was already sitting on the wide couch, holding the child again and I smiled at the tender way he held the baby. 

“You’re a big kid,” he said softly, brushing Cassian’s dark curls back from his face. “I have a feeling you’re going to give your mother a run for her coin someday.” I cleared my throat, making a show of returning to the room so he would not know I had interrupted the tender moment. I sat down next to him on the couch and placed my hand on his arm. 

“He needs to go down for some sleep, I said softly, noting the slight fall in Rex’s face. “If you want you can help me get him ready.” Rex smiled at this and stood carefully, making sure to balance the baby as he moved. 

I led him into my bedroom and gestured towards the changing table in the corner. Rex laid the baby down and looked around confused. I gently pushed him aside and began changing the baby, I made sure to move slower than I usually did so Rex would see all the proper steps before picking Cassian up. Using my free arm I grabbed one of his bottles and made quick work of feeding him. Placing my son in the cradle I kissed his forehead before gesturing to Rex that we needed to leave. 

The moment the door closed behind us the exhaustion from the day hit me like a ton of bricks and I slumped onto the couch, my head thrown back against the top. In all of the excitement of the day I had already nearly forgotten the events of the morning. I almost laughed realizing I had been a hostage not twelve standard hours prior. The dark humor was continued by the fact that I was more nervous about discussing my situation with Rex than Cad Bane had ever made me. Rex came to sit next to me but sat further away than he had previously, our bodies as far from one another as possible on the wide couch. I opened one eye at him. 

‘We have a lot to talk about," he said simply. I nodded. 

“Well, I guess we should start with the fact that I’m sorry I hid him from you,” I sighed. “You had made it clear you needed to focus on the war and I did not know how to get ahold of you to even begin to explain. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after what I have done but please be a part of his life, as much as you can.” Rex looked at me as though I was insane. 

‘Why would I leave you cyar’ika, I’ve missed you every day for the past year," Rex laughed. "If you don't believe me ask Fox the net time he's around, I've been calling him nearly daily looking for a unit transfer."

"I assumed that you had forgotten me by now."

“I welded your necklace into my armor the day I said goodbye to you and haven't gone a day without thinking of you," Rex laughed, moving his arm slightly so I could see the small blue gem on his inner forearm, just below his elbow. 

“You didn’t forget about me,” I muttered mostly to myself. Rex groaned. 

“Cyar’ika, when I tell someone I love them moments after watching their public execution I tend to mean for life,” Rex smiled down at me, moving closer to my side as we spoke. 

“I love you too,” My voice was low and Rex smiled. 

“Good, now that we have the obvious out of the way,” he smiled. “We have to figure out a plan so I can see you and the baby as much as possible.” I nodded. 

“Well I have taken up a permanent Residence here on Corouscant except for the occasional diplomatic mission either to Batuu or a neutral planet.” Rex nodded. 

“We are not planetside often,” he admitted. “Usually only for a day or so at a time, except for extended leaves following larger battles.”

“You’re welcome to stay here during your leave days,” I smiled. Rex seemed to like this plan as he put his arm around my shoulders in response. 

"Well that was kind of a given,” he laughed. Oh, how I had missed his laugh. “I can also send Cody and the others when I am away for too long. They already seem to have taken a liking to our kid after all.” This made me smile. 

“I would love to have them around when they can be,” I smiled thinking of all the help I could get from Rex’s brothers. Perhaps I could even get some babysitting out of the men if I played my cards right. 

“I would also like to formally date you,” Rex smiled awkwardly at this. “I realize I never actually took you out properly given the nature of our introduction.”I laughed loudly at this and quickly threw my hand over my mouth not wanting to wake Cassian in the next room.

“I would like that,” I smiled at him. Rex nodded, a smile to match my own spreading across his tired features. “Right now I’m basically a hookup gone wrong.” Rex’s expression darkened at this. 

“Don’t ever say that,” he snapped. “You are much much more than that and you always have been, our relationship just wasn’t ideal when it first started.” I nodded noting Rex still seemed to be just as protective as he had been the last time we had met. 

“Will I be able to reach out to you when you’re on mission,” I asked suddenly worried I would lose him the moment he left Coruscant. 

“Of course, I gave you my direct link, I will be calling you as often as I possibly can and if I can’t call you, you can leave me a holo-message and I’ll find someplace to answer you as quickly as I can." I nodded, looking over to the counter where I had left the comm. I decided I would keep it on my person at all times from here on out. 

I yawned and noticed the time, the baby would be up in a few hours to eat again and I groaned realizing just how little sleep I would be getting today due to my unexpected house party. Rex seemed to notice my shift in mood and gave me a look.

“When you have an infant you sleep when they sleep,” I explained. “I’m gonna be completely exhausted for the Senate meetings in the morning." Rex shook his head at me. 

“I can care for him while you rest,” he offered gently. “I owe you that much at least, you went through an entire pregnancy without any help, I can handle diaper duty.” I started to object but realized I had no real reason other than my own pride to say no. I nodded after a moment. 

“Promise you’ll wake me if anything abnormal happens,” Rex nodded his assent and started pulling off pieces of armor. I rose from the couch but noted that he did not follow. I caught his hand as he removed the last of the plating. 

“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” I put on my best Senator voice and Rex smiled standing to his full heighed. 

“You don’t give the orders here,” he smirked and I felt my knees go weak. He still had it, I smiled at the realization. I stepped forward and pressed my lips to his, pulling myself up on the very tips of my toes to reach. Rex lifted me with ease and began walking towards my bedroom. He placed me gently on the bed and began kissing at my collar. I stretched my neck to give him better access and let out a soft moan. Rex’s lips twisted into a smile against my throat. 

Then the baby let out a shriek as though he was moments away from death.


	6. Balance -Rex's POV

Cassian shrieked again, causing my ears to pop slightly. My cyar’ika groaned and started to wiggle out from beneath me. I stood quickly, not wanting her to have to work any harder than she already did.

“I have this one,” I smiled at her before moving over to the crib and pulling our son into my arms. I tried to gently rock him back and forth, something Kix had said was meant to soothe infants. My brother had spent the vast majority of the evening informing me of the various skills needed to care for a child. 

It was overwhelming to remember how you had to hold him, or how you changed him, or what things were unsafe for him to play with. Kix had even told me that there was a certain way you had to exercise them. Our conversation had caused me to nearly burst an aneurysm as I realize I was grossly underprepared to be a parent, let alone a good one. 

It had been Cody who had finally shut him up when he got to the breastfeeding portion. I had a feeling cyar’ika had that part covered. Looking down as Cassian, I gently shushed him as cyar'ika had earlier in the day. The baby quickly stopped crying and I smiled down at him before placing him back in the crib, in the exact position my Senator had. 

Maybe this would not be as hard as I expected. 

“Now,” I smirked, looking forward to returning to what we had been up to. ‘Where were we?” 

Turning back to the bed I saw cyar'ika lying completely crumpled on top of the bedding. Her gentle breathing told me she was likely already asleep. I smiled down on her, immensely happy that I was able to call her mine once again. Our fun could wait until she had a bit more energy, I decided. 

Instead I walked over to the bed and gently adjusted her so her head was on the pillows before laying her thick quilt over her body. I pressed a chase kiss to her temple before setting down beside her, ensuring the cradle was within arms reach of my side of the bed before settling. I wanted her to sleep well, as the bags under her eyes told me that she likely was not taking the best care of herself at the moment. I had only just closed my eyes for a moment when my communicator beeped with a message. I grunted, irritated that I could not sleep for even one night. 

I made my way over to the refresher before allowing the call. 

“General," I greeted Skywalker. The Jedi smiled at me obviously taking note of my barely dressed state. He raised a single eyebrow and I shrugged, hoping he would assume I had been sleeping. 

“Sorry to wake you, Captain," he smiled widely. “We are rolling out at first light.” 

For the first time in my life I was saddened to hear we had a time. For the past year, I had jumped from mission to mission barely noticing the changes occurring around me. It had even taken me a few weeks to become fully aware of Olrun, the liaison from Norma who had been sent to observe us. Having a time meant I had things to do, which means I did not have energy to think about the woman I had left behind on Coruscant. I hid my disappointment from the General and instead decided I would wake her before I left.

“Any word on how long this mission will take,” I asked, silently hoping it would be short so I could find a new normal quickly. I was not ready to say goodbye to Cassian after rI had only just met him. I wanted to get to know him a bit more before he was too old to want to get to know me. Skywalker shrugged. 

‘It’s a relief mission so likely by the end of the week.” I nodded, I could handle a week.

After all how long was a week when I had already lost a year. 

“I will be there, General,” Skywalker paused for a moment, obviously thinking about his next words carefully. “Captain, I know seeing the Senator today was likely surprising.” His voice was suspiciously calm and for a moment I was worried he knew of our relationship. I shook it off quickly, we had spent an extended period in one another's company, he was likely curious if we had remained friends over the year since our mission together. 

“Her child came as a shock,” I was trying to hide my discomfort from the General as best I could. For his part he appeared to be oblivious to the obvious defensiveness in my tone. The one nice thing about working with the Jedi is that they were plainly oblivious to anything emotional that did not directly pertain to them. That being said, they were not discrete about their own relationships in the slightest. The worst offender being the General and his not so secret marriage to Senator Amidala. In the hologram, General Skywalker nodded. 

“Senator Amidala informed me of the circumstances around the birth, the official story is she adopted to cope with the loss of her family on Batuu. However, many suspect the child is biologically hers. Pad- Senator Amidala says she has told no one of the true father, which is concerning giving her capture around the time of the conception.” I attempted to hide my cringe at this. She had been right to worry about the suspicion surrounding Cassian being much bugger then the Kaminoans getting ahold of him for testing. 

“Are you suggesting we investigate the child’s parentage," I snapped, already willing to argue with the General if it meant protecting my little family. 

“Not at all, That is her secret not ours,” the General laughed slightly. "You know better than anyone that I am not exactly one to judge others on their relationships." I tried to stifle my sigh of relief. “I simply think seeing a familiar face was likely good for her. Perhaps next time the members of her protection unit are on leave you should all pay her a visit.”

“I will inform my men,” I saluted the General who seemed pleased with my response. Anakin valued relationships more than most Jedi. In this moment I was grateful for the unconventional man offering me more time with my little family, under the pretense of paying a visit to a friend of course. 

‘Get some rest, Captain,” Skywalker ordered. “You’re going to need it in the morning.”

"Yes, Sir," I saluted ending the call before leaning back on the counter, pressing my palms into my eyes to relieve some of my tension. From the other room I heard a soft cry and paused, still pressing against my eyes. Cassian settled on his own and I let out a small sigh of relief. I quickly dialed the familiar number into my comm link, realizing I owed Fox an apology for the countless times I had irritated him.

"Rex, I swear if you are calling me to inquire about a unit transfer again," Fox groaned, his voice rough with what I assumed to be sleep. I chuckled to myself. 

"Actually, I was calling to apologize for calling you so frequently about that," I smiled. Fox groaned. 

"Are you going to stop," he grunted. I nodded. 

"Things have fixed themselves on my end. I will be remaining with the 501st."

"Rex, I never even considered transferring you for even a moment," Fox snapped. Behind him I heard a faint voice, which sounded like a woman. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, have I interrupted something," I laughed. Fox swore at me. 

"Don;t you have a senator to go bother," Fox groaned, causing me to freeze.

"What are you talking about," I snapped, feeling my blood run cold.

"Relax," Fox chuckled. "It's my business to know what happens on Corouscant. Your secret and family are safe."

"Good man," I smiled. "have a good night."

"I was until you called," Fox laugh, hanging up on me. I smiled to myself as I exited the refresher, noting that my cyar'ika had not moved at all. Silently, I crept across the room, sliding onto he bed slowly as to not wake her. 

"Rex," she said quietly. "You're very loud on the link."

"Sorry, cyar'ika," I laughed. "I was trying not to wake you."

"That's something we'll have to work on."


	7. Early Morning Business

I rose before Rex did the following morning. The early morning light was filtering in through the drawn blinds, falling across my face. I rolled slightly to face Cassian's cradle but found that it was not where it normally was. I felt my heart rate begin to spike, rolling over quickly, I all but threw Rex off the bed, before spotting the cradle on his side, one of his arms draped over the side as though he had fallen asleep rocking it. I smiled to myself, as settled deeper into the bed, saving the quiet moment before my increasingly busy day began.

My new schedule meant I had little time to get ready for my day before the baby woke and would need to eat. Something which had taken a lot of adjustment to get used to. Gently I rolled over again and grabbed my data pad, quickly clicking through my daily messages. The majority were well wished following the attack and I forwarded them to my assistant for response. I smiled slightly to myself noting that I actually had time off from my meetings about cloning spending that I could spend taking care of more personal matters. 

There was still the question of the spy who had nearly succeeded in killing me on Geonosis. I placed the data pad down beside the bed once again, rolling fully so I was facing Rex. I softly placed my hand on his bicep, reassuring myself that this was real and not an elaborate dream. 

Sensing my movement, Rex sat up slightly, his arm shifting away from me for a moment before he reached over and gripped my own hand in his much larger one. He smiled softly, his eyes still closed and pressed a gentle kiss to my palm, before bringing my hand to rest above his heart. He smiled slightly, his eyes barely opening as he took in the surroundings. 

“It’s early for you,” he groaned, his voice hoarse with sleep. Neither of us were morning people. I grunted, sitting up slightly and allowing the comforter to fall from a round me, revealing I had fallen asleep in my clothes from the night before. I sighed stretching my arms above my head momentarily with a large yawn. Rex shifted so he was leaning on his elbow, his entire form turned to face me. 

“Have to feed Cass” I groaned climbing to my feet, taking another moment to stretch before coming around to the other side of the bed. Cassian was still sleeping soundly and I smiled watching him for a moment.

"He woke up a few hours ago," Rex smile, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "I was able to get him to go back to sleep without waking you."

"Thank you," I smiled up at him, allowing my head to rest against his bare chest. "Its been a while since I have had a full nights sleep." Rex smiled back t me, spinning me to face him once again. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, finding comfort in having him back.

"I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but we are shipping out in an hour," Rex said softly, his soft smiled fading. 

"Duty calls," I laughed slightly, nodding and forcing a smile despite the dread I felt growing in my chest. "You'll be safe right?"

"It's just a support run," he said softly. "Arguably the safest I could possibly be, all things considered." I nodded once. 

"Just be safe," I said softly. "For us." 

'Of course," Rex smiled. Cassian began to fuss behind us and I quietly deranged myself from rex, immediately missing his warmth. 

“Can I use your refresher,” Rex asked as I gathered the baby. “I have to meet my men in an hour to leave for the mission.” I nodded. 

“Towels are in the cabinet next to the door,” Rex kissed me as he passed, his smile wider than I had ever seen before. It felt normal, having him in my space. We were able to comfortably move around one another, our routines allowing us to balance a relationship and the mundane seamlessly, as though nothing had changed since Kamino. 

“I could get used to mornings like this,” he laughed before closing the door behind him. Carrying the baby, I wandered out into the living space. Cassian babbled in my arms, looking around the room as though he realized it was emptier since he had last been out here. I smiled.

"They won't be gone long," I said softly to the baby, bouncing him slightly in my arms. "Those are your uncles. They love you very very much." Cassian babbled again and I laughed. "You don't understand this yet, but every single one of them would do anything for you." 

The baby garbled in my arms as I settled on the couch to feed him. As had become habitual, I began talking to the baby, telling him about Rex. I had done this since the day I had brought him home for the first time. I often told him stories about his father, telling him of the heroics I had witnessed first hand. Sometimes I would even search the 501st on the HoloNet to see what they had been up to. Learning of their adventures as a story for the baby had been a convent excuse of my need to know if Rex was alive. Sighing, I explained to Cassian that his dad was back and going to be around more. I sounded crazy even to myself as I spoke, but found that I did not care. 

I feel silent while he drank, watching the sunrise when a tentative knock came on the door. I jumped at the noise, immediately growing suspicious. I never had guests, aside from Jai, and never this early in the morning. Shifting Cassian, I rose to my feet and went to answer, hoping it was just a meeting brief. 

Jai stood at the door holding a small bag.

“Good morning,” I greeted smiling at the waiting Senator. “What brings you here this early?”

“I wanted to see how you two were doing after yesterday,” I smiled at my friend, shifting the weight in my arms slightly so I could open the door wider. 

“I’m fine, just a few scratches and bruises and Cassian here was completely unharmed thanks to you and the others. I will need to formally thank everyone for their help yesterday." Jai laughed, shaking her head. I had been so distracted by seeing Rex again I had completely forgotten my manners to the other Senators. Despite our politics they had all come to the aide of my baby yesterday. that was one debt that I would owe for a long time. Jai shook her head at me, once again, looking into the apartment. 

“No one will be upset that you kept to yourself after yesterday’s events,” she smiled. “I know if someone endangered my child I would want to spend as much time as possible ensuring their health afterwords.” I laughed at this. 

“Parenthood certainly changes one’s priorities," I agreed. Jai looked expectantly at me and I realized she likely wanted to come in. I remembered the man currently in my refresher and hesitated for a moment, before realizing keeping her outside would likely be more suspicious. I had mentioned Cassian's father to her yesterday, but found I was not quite ready to disclose the true mnature of our current relationship, even to my friend. I stepped aside, despite myself, silently hoping that Rex would hear her and hide in the room for a time. 

“Would you like a drink,” I asked reentering the living room. I started towards the bedroom, hoping to cut Rex off before he exited the refresher. No sooner had I begun crossing the room than the large door began to slide open, revealing Rex wearing just the black pants he used to secure his armor. In his hand he carried a completely drenched towel, a slight smile playing at the edges of his lips. 

‘Cyar’ika, did I leave my-” Rex stopped cold as his eyes met Jai’s in the doorway. I hissed in a breath, as Rex looked as though he was going to pass out, he took a hasty step back. 

“Senator Yang,” Rex’s voice became completely serious as he snapped to attention. Had I not been so embarrassed I would have laughed. He was bare from the waist up, standing at full attention as though he was on duty. It was ridiculous. His black underclothes half on, it was evident he was not here on business. “I was just uh-” 

“Captain Rey,” she smiled widely at the clone.

'Rex," I snapped at my friend. "His name is Rex." 

“It’s good to see you this morning.” She winked at me. Rex for his part looked incredibly confused, his eyes shifting rapidly between us. 

“I was just coming to help with the baby, I’ll let you two talk,” she collected Cassian from my arms, placing her bag on the small table in the center of the room. She brushed past Rex, her long hair swirling behind her as she entered the bedroom the door sliding shut behind her. Rex shot me a wild look, as though he had been caught with his pants down. 

Though I suppose being caught with your shirt off was not much better. 

“That’s bad,” he groaned. I shook my head.

“She isn’t in a position to say or do anything about it,” I smiled remembering a similar situation where I had discovered an identical clone of Rex hiding under her desk after a particularly long and boring meeting. Fox had sworn me to secrecy immediately, and their relationship was a secret I would take to my grave. Jai and I had a mutual understanding, or I assumed we would shortly. Rex raised his eyebrow at me and I smiled innocently. 

“You’re not the only clone getting some action,” Rex laughed at this, pulling on the rest of his backs and picking up the discarded armor from behind my couch. 

“Okay," he agreed. “But who?”

"How well do you know Commander Fox," I laughed. Rex paused for a moment. 

"Well, he likely isn't too fond of me," Rex laughed, shrugging slightly as he reattached his gauntlets.

"I am fairly certain he lives with her," I laughed, handing him his helmet, it looked different from the last time I had seen it, weld marks telling me he had made some improvements since the last time I had seen him. I laughed again, realizing our minor mistake was likely the best possible scenario should someone find out about out little family. Rex sighed as he picked up his helmet.

“I would say goodbye to Cassian but I don’t want to bother the Senator,” he shrugged. He pulled me in close, kissing me gently. “I’ll contact you through the comm link when I can, if you need me dial the code 7567 at any time and I’ll get to you immediately.” I smiled and picked up the comm. Dialing his clone number I waited a moment before his wrist link beeped twice. 

“Thank you,” I smiled wrapping my arms around him. “I’m happy to have you back.”

“You have no idea, cyar’ika,” he gave me a tight queeze before stepping back.

“See you soon,” he snapped his helmet on and all but ran out the door. I sighed and watching him go before remembering I had Jai in the other room. Turning around she stood in the doorway a playful smile on her lips and my son balanced on her hip.

“So,” her smile grew. “Would you like to share why the Captain of the 501st was half dressed in your apartment.” I laughed and held my arms out for the baby. 

“Only if you would like to share why the Commander of the Corouscant guard hides under your desk from time to time” Jai chucked at this and followed me into the kitchen.

“Are you and Rex-” I nodded. 

“You cannot tell anyone,” she nodded. 

“I won’t tell anyone, you have my word,” Jai promised handing me the bag she had brought with her. I sighed.

“Thank you,” I sat across from her and split the contents between the both of us. 

“So tell me,” she leaned in. “How did he take finding out about the baby?” I smiled, glad my friend was so understanding. 

“Jai, he was thrilled.”

We talked for some time before we returned to what was really important, a conversation we had been having since i had first met my friend upon my return to the Senate

“I may have figured out a key to the spy on Geonosis,” I said as we worked our way through the pastries.


	8. Finding A New Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and ready to write! Finals are over and that means I can dedicate myself to my favorite thing to do, write self serving reader insert clone fics :)
> 
> As always let me know your thoughts :)

My days had become consumed with my obsession with the spy from Geonoisis. As far as I had been able to tell whoever had pretended to be Cody had never existed before that day and had never existed since. The man was a ghost and no amount of research I had attempted had reviewed anything about the man. I had even gone so far as to request a counsel with the Jedi Master in charge of the archives, to no avail. 

From the moment we had returned to my offices, I had decided that Would be the one to find the man. Cassian's birth day only furthered my resolve. I knew that given he opportunity the Separatists would use my son against me and I had a suck feeling that although I had lost the spy, I had never escaped his notice. I had a growing sense of dread when I realized that it was like he knew of my baby and would try at some point to get ahold of him. However, I found it difficult to find time to continue this goal as I become considerably more busy in the months since my attempted execution.

I was the face of the war now. Another piece of propaganda used by the Republic to show the citizens that the war impacted all of us. Even the Senator from a small planet barely within the confines of the Republic. 

Pushing the thought from my head, I turned to my charts once again, attempting to understand the confusing chain of command the Jedi had determined to be useful in organizing the chain of command. As the current Chair of the Clone Commission, I was tasked with ensuring the all spending allotted to the war effort was being used wisely, and a potential phase three of new armor was making my job particularly difficult. With sigh, I pushed the spending charts away, rubbing my temples for a moment before hearing the soft clicking of my comm link. I smiled despite my agitation and pulled out the small hologram, revealing Rex in his full armor. 

“How’s the supply mission going,” I smiled at the hologram in front of me. Rex removed his helmet, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Looking at him I could tell he was tired, the bags under his eyes telling me that he had been awake since the last time we had spoken. I had learned rather quickly that exhaustion was his normal. He was lucky to get a few hours of sleep a week and honestly it amazed me that he was able to function normally. 

“It went well," he laughed. He quickly looked over his shoulder. He paused for a moment before nodding slightly. "Fives says hi."

"Give him my love," I smiled. Rex glared. 

"I will do no such thing," he snapped, humor ringing in his tone. "I do have some news for you."

"Another mission?" Rex simply nodded.

"We got a call that we’re needed on Naboo,” I sighed. I had learned earlier in the day that Padme had been called away suddenly and had a feeling she would be calling for the 501st. That had been the whole reason I had ever even met Rex to begin with.

“I assume that means your leave is delayed,” Rex nodded sadly. 

“They found droids on the planet and Senator Amidala specifically called for Skywalker and Kenobi.” I nodded, my suspicions confirmed once again. I had a feeling there was a lot more to that relationship than met the eye, however, Padme and I had grown distant over the last year, primarily die to my new role in the Commission. 

“I assume Padme is already there,” I asked. Rex nodded again, his eyes flashing with unspoken knowledge. I would question it the next chance I had to speak to him securely. 

“So how’s Cass?” Rex smiled when he asked about the baby which made my day that much better. From the way he looked around the room I could tell he was genuinely excited to talk about the baby. I suddenly wished I had brought him to work with me. I smiled.

“He’s still young, love,” I reminded him. “Besides, he cannot even move himself between rooms without help.” I laughed. Rex shit me a playful glare.

"Humor me, cyar'ika. You know I love knowing about both of you and what you get up to." 

“He’s doing well, he actually slept throught the night yesterday,” I smiled, grateful for the sleep before the day of meetings I had been enduring since Senate opened. Rex nodded. 

“That’s my boy,” he laughed. “And how are you, cyar’ika?” 

“Busy,” I complained. “I've been in meetings about my bill all week.”

‘The same spending bill that caused all of this,” I nodded. 

“The very same, politics are slow,” I admitted. Rex chucked and I noted it appeared as though he was pacing as we spoke. 

“Politics may be low, but the war is not.” Rex smiled at me for a moment.

“Are you being safe,” I asked Rex, his smile froze. 

“I am following regulation,” I shook my head at this.

"That's not what I asked."

"You probably do not want to know the real answer," Rex laughed. "I do work with General Skywalker and Commander Tano after all."

"Oh, I am very aware, the HoloNet loves to talk about their daring acts."

"In my defense, I usually try to get them to tone it down," Rex shrugged. "Wether they listen to me is an entirely different issue." 

"I trust you," I laughed. Behind Rex there was a loud crashing.

"General-" Fives voice filtered in loudly. "He is preforming inspections." 

"I think that's our cue," Rex chuckled, looking over his shoulder quickly.

“Well, please come back to us soon,” I smiled slightly as Rex saluted. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he laughed slightly as the call ended. Sighing I rose from my seat, allowing myself to take a moment to look out my large paned windows to watch the sunset. It had been a long day but the city was still absolutely breathtaking to me. I heard a knock at the door and rose to take it, assuming one of the Senators was coming wish me a good night. Cody stood outside, his helmet in his hand.

“Commander,” I greeted with a warm smile, opening the door widely. “Come in.” Cody nodded and followed me into the living area. 

“Can I get you a drink or something to eat,” I offered mentally cataloguing the inventory as I started towards the small kitchen. I was a bit nervous having the man around me, especially without Rex. I knew I could trust Cody but I found it difficult to do so since his image had been used to trick me in the past. Cody placed his hand on my shoulder stopping me.

“There’s no need Senator, I just wanted to check in on you and the baby,” Cody was stilted and I paused for a moment before remembering that he simply did not know me as well as the other clones did. I smiled and gestured towards my couches. 

“We are well,” I found myself matching the clones awkwardness. "He is with a sitter while I work today, but I will be leaving shortly to go see him." I smiled slightly and Cody shook his head. 

“A growing lad needs his schedule,” the clone smiled. “Rex asked me to come by, I uh- offered to see if you needed anything since his leave has been delayed.” I laughed at this.

“Commander, I appreciate your gesture but you do not need to sacrifice your limited time off on me or Cass."

“It’s not a sacrifice to help family,” he shrugged. 

“Family?” I questioned. Up until last week I had never even met Cody and suddenly we were family. The clone paused for a moment.

“Senator, us clones are brothers. We are family and we treat each other as such. That child, your son, is biologically part of the family, that makes you part of our family as well. There is not a single clone in existence who would not give his life for his family.” 

“Cody, I am not asking you to give your life for us,”

“The point is Senator, I am not expecting you to ask. I am just going to do it. Rex is my best friend, my closest brother and honestly my mentor in many ways. He is among the oldest and most experienced clones in the entirely of the GAR. We all respect him. If Rex trusts you then so do I.”

“Rex doesn’t talk much about his past,” I shrugged. “All he’s ever told me is that he was at Geonosis.” Cody shrugged.

“Senator, he was a part of the very first batch of clones. There’s only a handful left and most of them are on special assignments. Even I don’t hold a light to Rex.” I nodded with the new information, surprised that he was even more accomplished than I had ever known. I rose from the couch and began collecting my belongings. Outside my now darkened window I saw a red light, small but angled towards me. I tilted my head slightly as Cody came to stand beside me. The moment he came to stand next to me he paused.

"Senator, get down," he snapped, pushing me to the side. The large glass windows shattered in towards us the couch behind us exploding with an unknown impact. Cody put his hand on my back, ensuring I was covered. The barrage of sound ended as suddenly as it had began, the Coruscant Guard slamming into my room as quickly as the first bullet had broken the glass. The men began sweeping the room, coming to form a perimeter around me. Cody dusted himself off, grunting as he rose. 

"Senator," he said softly. "Why is it that things are always dramatic around you."

"I need someone to go to my apartments," I snapped. "My son is only with Senator Yang, they could be in danger." 

"Ma'am," Fox came to stand before me, "I have already sent a unit to ensure their safety. We are going to escort you there." I nodded once allowing Fox and Cody to lead me from the offices as the men moved through collecting evidence. We walked in silence for a moment.

"Should we contact Rex," Fox asked quietly. Cody raised his eyebrow. 

"Why would she do that," he snapped. Fox laughed.

"Let's not pretend, vod. I know exactly what happened on Kamino, I am assuming Cassian happened on Kamino at least, just as you do." I laughed despite myself, causing both men to pause. 

"This is just about the worst kept secret in the Senate at this point." Both clones nodded, their eyes never stopping as we worked our way through the halls. Jai was standing outside of my apartments, holding Cassian and her small bunny Wollfe as she waited. She handed me the baby.

"Nothing happened here," she said softly. "We were surprised when the men arrived."

"I am glad you're safe, Jai," I smiled slightly. Cody stood behind me talking with Fox for a moment. He nodded.

"Senator," he addressed me, coming to stand at attention. "I am going to be staying with you for the next few days, until a full investigation can be preformed to determine the reasoning behind this attack." I shook my head. 

"It was the spy," I snapped. "It had to be."


	9. More Bad News- Rex's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even going to lie to you all, this one is meant to be a little rough but I promise we will see more good times soon, I tried to keep some of this one a bit shorter as I am using events from the show here and do not feel it is necessary or fair to take too directly from the episode, as I did in the first chapter of the work, as such please bear with me in the beginning :0
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts and if there is anything you would like to see :)

"Captain, I have news of a certain friend of the GAR." We had only just arrived on Naboo when I received the transmission from Cody, his voice tight as he spoke.

"Commander, with all due respect I do not have time for games at the moment, there's a lab on Naboo leaking a deadly virus," I snapped, already irritated that we were taking the time for formalities, especially given eh fact it directly pertained to my family. 

"Well, there was an attack earlier this evening," he said slowly. "There were no injuries, but I will be keeping the Senator and her child in my protective custody until the investigation is over." I nodded once. 

"How bad," I asked, feeling my heart rate intensify. Cody shook his head. 

"Honestly, it was nothing compared to the previous attempts on her life," he chuckled. "She is completely un-phased."

"Good, I will call her as soon as we finish here," I smiled beneath my helmet, the strength of my cyar'ika amazing me once again. Cody nodded once, just as we began rushing into the lab. Quickly we began disengaging the bombs, attempting to ensure that all vials of the virus were secured quickly. The alarms sounded as we worked and I felt as though my world was coming crashing down. 

The virus was loose and there was no way out of the lab without releasing it.

I had likely already been infected. Beside me Ahsoka continued to rally the men as I felt my thoughts single in on two people. For the first time in my short life I was truly worried about seeing tomorrow and seeing my senator and son once again.

"Rex," Ahsoka said softly, touching my shoulder. "This is bad." I nodded once as we began working our way towards where the droids may have been, already feeling as though my lints were made of cement, I helped the Jedi dispel of the last of the droids, barely even processing the sheer insanity of the situation. 

I had a woman back home being hunted again and I was dying in an underground lab of a virus which had been eradicated. The crew all laid down on the hard floor, our transmissions barely making sense any longer. Across the way I watched as my men wheezed and attempted to aide one another, their bodies beginning to falter as the virus rapidly worked its way through our systems. 

On the ground next to me Ahsoka coughed, the blue veins covering her skin causing me to worry about the young Commander. I attempted to help her sit up, feeling her small form collapsing against my side as I let out a small coughs attempting to suppress my own discomfort given the fact I had a literal child with me. Suddenly I felt a profound sense of protectiveness for the Commander. She did not deserve to be in this war, she deserved to be a teenager, not a soldier. I sighed and felt my lungs squeeze painfully. Beside me Ahsoka groaned, gripping my arm slightly, right atop my Senator's pendant. 

I was going to marry my Senator if I managed to survive this one, of that much I was entirely certain. Sitting beside the young girl I realized just how much time I had wasted. I should have gone to her on our leaves. I should have apologized to her sooner. I should have listened to my brothers and Olrun and gone to her instead of allowing myself to sulk and all but throw a tantrum over my own self imposed loss. 

I stood carefully, leaving my Commander’s side for a moment. I had a call I needed to make. Ahsoka, opened one eye and looked at me for a moment, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. 

“I’ll cover for you,” she muttered as I passed. "Tell her everything you need to." I nodded, smiling beneath my helmet. the Commander did not necessarily know the true depths of my emotions but she knew that there were residual feelings there and had coaxed me on multiple occasions to fix my sadness. I quickly found a corner away from the others and dialed the familiar number. 

“Cyar’ika,” my Senator jumped as the comm link snapped to life. A wide smile came across her face and she turned, holding Cassian tightly in her arms. I smiled seeing the two. The pure beauty of their bind causing me to pause for a moment and simply observe. I watched the way she protectively held the baby. I saw the way she softened herself to him and the way she was willing to do anything for our son. It amazed me. 

I had only known my child a week but I knew I would do anything for him. I sighed to myself, realizing that I was unlikely to actually get to fulfill any of my promises to either of them, finding that the thought tore into me in a way I had only ever felt once before. 

I was saying goodbye again, after I had just gotten them back. 

Looking I saw Cassian smile, a true smile. My resolve handed at this, I was part of the biggest, most important, moment in the history of the Republic and giving my life here on Naboo meant there was a greater chance my child would get to live under good leadership. 

“Rex,” she greeted. She lifted the child up slightly. “Say hi to daddy, Cass.” I smiled seeing how happy my love was, oblivious to the blue veins spreading across my body. For once, I was grateful that our armor took away every aspect of our humanity. I did not want her to know how bad this situation was. 

“How are you two,” I asked, stifling a cough. She smiled again.

“We’re doing well, Captain,” she laughed at the formality. “There was an attack yesterday, but it appears as though it was a failed bounty." Her eyes flickered slightly, as they did when she lied to me. She did not want me to worry just as I did not want her to worry. I decided it was best not to call her on it at the moment, knowing I likely would lose consciousness shortly. 

"Cody has been helping me, he’s been checking in every chance he gets.” She continued, looking around herself for a moment. I smiled at this, knowing if we did not make it today my brother would care for my family. 

“I’m glad he was able to find time,” she rolled her eyes at this. 

‘He won’t rest, Rex. He’s been here from sunrise to sunset. He cleaned the kitchen for me this morning.” she laughed at the memory. “He won’t even take the food I offer him.”

“It’s his way, he tends to be a bit-" I paused trying to think of a nice way to put it. Cody was my closest friend and trusted him more than anyone, but he was a lot to handle. 

“Stubborn just like you,” I smiled at this, silently agreeing with her. I felt a cough building in my chest and attempted to suppress it. I needed another moment. 

“Hey, I might be a bit late for that leave I promised you,” I started carefully, not wanting to alarm her.

“That’s understandable,” my senator smiled at me again. I attempted to memorize her face. I wanted the last thing I saw to be her smiling at me holding the kid. “Do you have a date?”

“It’s not that kind of late cyar’ika,” I closed my eyes, dreading what I was about to say. “We got infected with the Blue Shadow Virus.” I heard a soft gasp.

“Rex-” 

“Please, cyar’ika, let me finish. I wanted to apoligize to you. I should not have wasted so much time. I should have been there for you. We went through so much so quickly i truly thought you would be better off without me. Ni ceta.”

“Don’t talk like you aren’t coming hime,” my little senator snapped, here eyes flashing dangerously. In her arms Cassian twisted rounder reaching for the hologram. I longed to reach back to him but knew it was pointless. More than anything I wanted to be with them. “This is not the end.” 

“I have to go help the others, cyar’ika.” I saw tears welling in her eyes. I was grateful for a final moment with her but I knew I needed to end it here. If she started crying I would not be able to leave this call until I succumbed to the virus and that was something I simply could not do to her. She would not watch another person she cared for die in front of her. “Ni ceta”

“Rex wai-” I turned off the comm link. Steeling myself to watch everyone I cared about die arounf me. A small part of me hoped I went before the others, as much as I wanted to help I knew it was going to hurt watching what was about to happen. Around me the others were beginning to lose consciousness. Ahsoka was complete limp on the ground her small body completely warped with he sprawling blue veins. I pulled off my helmet as I felt myself begin to become lightheaded, the world slowly fading as I heard yelling from somewhere in the distance. 

As I began to lose myself I thought of my cyar'ika and the way she lightened any room she was in. I found immense comfort in her memory as I slowly slipped under. 

I woke up what felt like years later, but what in actuality was probably only a few moments. I was on a soft cot, being slowly removed from the lab. above me I heard the Generals speaking for a moment, their voices blurring together as I slowly began to come to once again. I felt as though there was a pillow over my face as I attempted to steady myself. Overhead I heard the Generals offer to teach Representative Binks something and I groaned. 

"I am not teaching him," I snapped with my limited strength as I was loaded onto the ship, Commander Tano offering me her hand for a moment as we were lifted to the medical base. 

Recovering from the Blue Shadow Virus was thoroughly unpleasant to say the least. Due to the nature of the virus, I was unable to go back to the apartment for the first three days on Corouscant. Laying in my bed I could see the Senate building outside of my window, its splendor reflecting in the bright lights of the city. Beside me the Commander was in much worse shape, her body reacting poorly to our treatment for the firs day we were in the medical base.

The moment I was cleared, I all but ran to the apartment, any thought of being subtle vanishing completely from my head. I sprinted through the building I was already beginning to see as home, frantically slamming buttons as I attempted to het to them quickly. 

I did not bother to knock or even announce myself as I slammed her key code into the door. I did not slow as I barreled into the hallway seeing her standing in the small living area, her back turned to me for a moment until the door slammed behind me. I launched myself towards her, pulling my senator tightly to my chest as I celebrated the feeling of finally being home. 

“Rex,” she croaked around tears. “I thought you had died.” I nodded. 

“Cyar’ika, I thought I had too." I felt myself begin to well up with tears, feeling horrible for what I had just put her through. There was a small cry from the other room as I held the Senator, prompting me to release her, jogging towards the bedroom and picking up my son. Holding him tightly to me I returned and noticed a small smile playing at cyar'ika's lips. 

"So who tried to kill you," I asked, suddenly remembering that Cody was meant to be watching her.


	10. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Thank you so much for the continued support on this fic!
> 
> I don't have too much to say here today aside fro Happy Holidays you wonderful people!

I paused at Rex’s question, watching as he shifted our child slightly in his arms. For a moment I simply looked at him and pondered what I should tell him. Secrets had always been our biggest issue, but I found that I dod not want to shatter the illusion of peace we had so barely begun to piece together. I sighed, deceasing I would try to hold my little family together for a little longer. 

“I have no clue,” I said, pressing my palm to my temple. Rex glared at me slightly, watching as I lowered my hand to my new necklace.

"Cyar'ika, you have the same tell still, you always play with your jewelry when you're trying to hide something from me." 

“I have some ideas but no solid evidence.”

“What do you mean,” Rex narrowed his eyes. I suppressed my groan. I had conveniently forgotten how incredibly astute and stubborn Rex was. He was far too observant for his own good. “Cyar’ika, what have you been doing?”

“Nothing you wouldn’t have done in my situation.”

“Have you been investigating the spy, on your own,” Rex’s voice rose slightly. Cassian began to cry in his arms and I quickly took the baby, using him as a reason to delay my response Rex continued to glare at me for a moment, his gaze only softening when I began to comfort the baby. He was tough but not too tough to find peace in the soft whimpers.

“I have simply been-”

“Don’t even try that,” Rex snapped. “Have you been investigating your own near death experience?”

“Well what else was I supposed to do, they closed the case months agio and whoever it was is still out there,” I snapped. Cassian began to cry again.

"You should have reported the issues to the Corouscant Guard," Rex snapped. I opened my mouth to argue but heard a loud knock on the door behind me. 

"And where is Cody, he is supposed to be watching you since you seem incapable of staying safe-"

"How dare you," I snarled as the door opened behind me. "I do not need a babysitter. You abandoned me a year ago knowing full well that I was still in danger and suddenly you care again because you heard that there-" Cody walked into my line of view his face angry as he came to stand beside Rex, taking up an identical position with his arms crossed across his chest.

“I will have you know that the young woman at the seamstress shop was not expecting someone to pick anything up for you today,” he said, his tone cross. Rex’s glare intensified. 

“Senator,” he said dangerously low. “What are you playing at?”

‘Nothing,” I shrugged, bouncing the baby slightly. “I thought today was the day my dresses were ready and sent Cody to pick them up.”

“You-”

“You hadn’t ordered anything,” snapped Rex, interrupting Cody. THe two brothers exchanged looks, their twin faces calculating.

“Start talking or you’re going on protective detail again,” Cody snapped, suddenly all business. “And I won't be sending you with your preferred clone.”

‘There’s no need for protective custody,” I snapped. “I just wanted a moment alone.”

“Someone tried to kill you four days ago,” Rex snapped, crossing his arms. 

“Yes, and someone tried to kill me a year ago, and two months after that, then four months after that, then a month ago,” I snarled. “The threats did not stop simply because you returned me to Senate, they simply dropped from the front page.”

‘What are you talking about,” Rex snapped. Cody shot him a look. 

“Rex,” Cody said oftly gesturing to his brother. “There have been multiple attacks-”

‘Why didn’t anyone tell me,” Rex’s eye began to twitch and I took a small step back, knowing he was moments away from an absolute explosion. Cody placed his hand on Rex's shoulder, looking directly into his brothers eyes for a moment before turning away. 

“It was my decision,” Cody said lowly, not making eyecontact with either of us. “Your behavior following Geonosis was a bit concerning and I could not have you defecting to be with her.”

“So you decided to hide the fact that she was still in danger,” Rex snarled, turning on his brother. I shook my head.

“I told the men who responded to each incident that I did not want it becomng public knowledge as well,” I said softly, making eyecontact and nodding. “I paid off most of them.”

“Cyar’ika,” Rex turned from me and began pacing the apartment, hsi breath was a bit short. 

“You should sit,” I said moving towards him. Rex held up his hand in warning. 

“Why are there so many secrets,” he snapped. “I was gone a year and suddenly it is as i I don't know either of you.”

“You are the one who decided there needed to be secrets,” I snapped. Cody’s eyes opened widely, his expression one of shock. 

“I-uh-”

“Cody, can you please take Cassian into the other room,” I asked, holding out hte baby. “Rex and I need to have a conversation.” Codu quickly gathered the baby from me.

“Come on bud,” he said softly. “I don’t want to be here when they fight either.”

“I will be fighting with you momentarily,” Rex snapped after his retreating brother. Cody simply nodded once. 

“You are not in a position to be demanding answers from me,” I snapped, the moment the door slammed behind Cody. “You have kept secrets from me since the day I met you and honestly-”

“I only kept secrets from you to protect you,” Rex snapped turning on me. I shook my head at this.

“Rex-’

“No, you have been secretly investigating the spy without permission.”

“You would do the same.”

“No, I would not,” Rex snapped. “Not when I have something like Cassian to live for.”

“You endanger your life every single day,” i shrieked, my rage overcoming me. Rex shook his head. I turned and threw myself into the couch behind me pulling a cushion into my lap for a moment, my grip tight against the soft fabric. 

“Not willingly,” his voice was low. “Do you think I want to be a soldier? Do you think any of us actually like the life we are forced into? Ask any of us, Senator, we all hate the war and want it to be over already.”

‘That’s treasonous,” I snarled. Rex nodded once.

“There’s the Senator I knew,” he snapped. “You haven’t changed at all.”

"What do you mean?"

"I spoke to Chancellor Palpatine that day, the day you claimed I abandoned you," Rex snarled, his eyes flashing. "He told me everything I needed to know about you. He told me about your conversation with him in your chambers. He told me that you had a history of using people to gain better treatment. He told me all about how you told him how difficult I was until you figured out my weaknesses."

"I never said any of that," I snapped, rising to my feet. "I barely even know the Chancellor, why would I tell him my devious plan to bed you, especially when I know that it could have gotten you killed."

"He said-"

"he is the one who made the rules about who the clones can and cannot be with," I snarled, "Have you considered the fact he told you such horrible things about me because he does not want anyone, especially not his military to go against his orders." Rex paused at this, his jaw slack.

"Did you-"

"Rex, I have never purposely used anyone for political or societal gain in my life," I said gently, my tone lowering significantly. "I never once lied to you about how I felt about you. I only ever hid the attempts on my life in order to avoid another public fiasco like the last time. I was trying to provide a sense of normalcy for our son. I am investigating the spy on my own because no one else is going to do it for me and I need to know who is trying to make my son an orphan-"

"Cyar-"

"Let me finish, Rex," I snapped. "I have managed a full year without any assistance because that is what I needed to do. I am grateful that you are worried for me but you need to understand that there are some things that you missed because you decided to leave."

"I understand," rex said softly. "I want to help you though."

"If you want to help me then help me find the man who keeps trying to kill me," I said softly, moving closer to him finally. I placed my hand on his arm. "Help me end this so our only concern will be the end of the war and our plans for life after it." 

"I will," Rex said quietly. He wrapped his arms around me for a moment pressing his forehead to my own. We stood like this for a moment, our first true argument seemingly coming to an end. From behind us the bedroom door opened. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Cody said softly, "but he needs to be changed, immediately."


	11. Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Happy Holidays! Sorry I took a few days off to celebrate, but here is a cute little chapter for you all until I can come back with the big guns probably tomorrow or the next day!
> 
> Also shameless self plug, I have two newer works Shots in the Dark and Near Miss both part of this same little universe of pics I have been working on. Near Miss is a Cody x Jedi!Reader work and Shots in the Dark is about a bartender! Reader and Jesse. I would greatly appreciate any support on those works!
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts :)

Rex and I spent the majority of the day going over the very limited amount of information I had been able to collect about the spy. I knew that they preferred to work alone and would often attack me when I was without a formal detail. I further knew it was an individual who was aware of the training of the clones and was able to disguise themself as one of them for extended periods of time. 

The first attack had only occurred a week after Rex left. I had been walking between my office and Jai's after coming to an agreement about a trade deal with would give both of our planets access to one another's resources as well as cultural exchange programs. I had been walking along the halls slowly, attempting to battle a bought of morning sickness when a man dressed as the Corouscant Guard approached me claiming to be Commander Fox. Had it not been for the fact I had been with Fox only moments before I likely would not have realized the problem. The blaster to my temple did not aide the situation either. 

The second attempt had been on a visit to my home planet. I had been accompanied by a small group from the 212th as well as their newly appointed secondary Jedi General, a young woman who had a very easygoing personality. I had just finished handing out relief supplies alongside them and had begun to walk towards my childhood home for a memorial service in my parent's honor when the man approached again. This time he was dressed entirely in 212th armor again. The only giveaway being that I knew the men who were on the planet with me by name. 

The third attempt had been much more subtle. Someone had begun tiling me on my walks through the lower levels. I had been walking to my seamstress when a man was suddenly behind me, grabbing my arm roughly. Shots had happened to see the attack and had come running out of her store with a small blaster in her hand, effectively chasing off the "clone." At the time she had insisted on calling her friend, though when I asked her not to she had complied with my wishes with the understanding I would inform the Senate Guard myself. I had not but I doubted that would ever get back to her. 

As Rex and I silently poured over the documents together, he began to touch my exposed arm, gently. He was tracing a complex web of lines up my arms throughout the afternoon, passing only when he took a moment to relieve his eyes and walk around the table. 

Cody watched Cassian for us throughout the day, often chiming in when he found a piece of my information to be useful or interesting. In particular, her added a lot of detail about the attack on Batuu and how the Jedi General had actually been there two months pervious investigating a potential lead before taking up her command with the 212th. He further added that the "clone" had somehow managed to pain access to armor nearly identical to his own and had seemed aware of the guard schedule, suggesting that they had somehow worked with the 212th in the past. Cody mostly kept his thoughts to himself, however, though he would often shoot knowing looks at Rex when he believed I was not looking. The two men somehow always seemed to be on the same page, never once questioning the other.

At one point he answered a few calls from the living area, juggling the baby and his link expertly. Rex and I both watched in awe as he comforted our son while simultaneously running the entirety of his corps from my living room.

"Yes, General Queenie," he laughed into his receiver, allowing Cassian to play with the antennae beside him. "I have spoken to the men about their responsibilities and roles should you become incapacitated. No, I do not know where your lightsaber is." There was a garbled reply that left Cody chuckling. 

"Have you considered the fact that I am not the one tasked with knowing where you keep your weapons?" 

“He’s pretty good with Cass,” I smiled, turning back to Rex. Cody was gently rocking our baby as he argued with the General. The two appeared close, Cody's lighthearted and honestly caring nature really shining through as he listed off potential places where her lightsaber may have wound up. Rex shrugged, turning back to the mess of documents in front of us. 

“Back on Kamino he always liked growth chamber duty,” he smiled at the memory. “He used to talk to them while we would be cleaning the room. We all used to tease him about it since he was the only one who would actually volunteer for it. He used to teach them all the Mando'a that the template used to teach us.” I smiled at this, suddenly feeling a bit guilty that I had attempted to send him away earlier in the day. 

“So what are your plans for your medical leave,” I asked Rex, laying my head on his shoulder for a moment, my eyes swimming from my own horribly disorganized writing. Rex shrugged. 

“Well, the entire unit is on leave and usually we spend the first day down at 79’s,” he smiled slightly. “Actually, knowing the boys they have probably been there for a few days, Jesse is always excited for a chance to see the bartender. I should probably make an appearance before they destroy the place.”

“Oh,” I said slowly, suddenly a bit sad that he would have to leave. A small part of me had assumed that we would be spending the majority of his week off together. Perhaps even focusing on being a little family for the time being. I knew that this was selfish, but more than anything I wanted to make up for the time we had lost. Rex seemed to catch my change in mood and wrapped his arm across my shoulders. 

“What’s wrong, cyar’ika,” he said softly. “I’ll be back right after, I just need to handle the safety brief.”

"Safety brief?" 

"Yeah, I have a list of reminders for the men. The usual stuff," Rex shrugged. "No killing anyone, no setting fired you can't put out on your own, no killing anyone. Hardcase, Tup, Jesse, and Fives are not allowed to go anywhere unsupervised. If it seems like a bad idea, run it by Kix first-" Rex continued listing off the various rules he had, causing me to giggle slightly, knowing there were storied behind each and every one of the rules. 

"The most important rule is always don't bother me unless someone is literally dying or you piss of Wolffe," Rex laughed. "If Commander Wolffe is ready to kill one of them I have to go handle it before things escalate- unless his Civvie is there, she's the best." 

"Oh," I laughed, elbowing rex softly. "Should I be worried about that?" Rex snorted loudly, squeezing me tighter to his side. 

"Cyar'ika, I am pretty sure Wolffe would kill me if I even tried with that one," he laughed loudly. "Besides, you know I will always be coming right back to you." 

“I know,” I said softly. “I just wish things did not have to be so separated.” Rex nodded at this.

“So you want to come with me,” he asked. I nodded.

“I wish I could,” I confirmed. “I haven’t gotten to do anything since the baby was born.” Rex nodded again, his eyes calculating for a moment.

“Cody,” he yelled cross the room. The Commander sat up slightly, throwing his finger over his mouth to silence his brother. Cassian let out a small yawn from the crook of Cody's elbow, babbling slightly before he settled. Cody rose from the couch slowly, balancing the baby as he came to sit in the open chair beside me. The baby was gripping Cody's finger and I felt my heart squeeze slightly watching it, once again overtaken with joy over just how loved the baby truly was.

“I just got him to fall asleep and if you wake him up-” Cody glared at Rex, the two pausing for a moment having another silent conversation.

“I’m going to take the Senator out for a little bit,” Rex informed him. Cody glared.

“You cannot be serious right now,” Cody snapped. “That is so irresponsible-”

“She needs a night out, I need to check on my men, and she hasn’t gotten to do anything since ad’ika came along.”

“Rex-”

“No, we’re going to get a drink at 79’s we’ll be back before you know it,” Rex smiled slightly, standing before helping me to my feet. He twirled me slightly, causing me to nearly stumble over my own two feet. From his seat Cody sighed. 

"For what it's worth, I think this is a horrible idea," Cody snapped, glaring at the two of us for a moment. "The Corouscant Guard has not cleared you to leave this apartment without escort." 

"Rex will escort me," I said fairly, already walking towards my room to change into something a little less noticeably regal. I sleeted on a plan outfit, with a headscarf to hide my signature braids under. The quick excursion would be discrete but would allow me some time to relax, and I was incredibly excited at the prospect. When I returned to the main room, Cody and Rex were both on their feet facing one another. They did not speak as they looked at one another, the only noticeable changes in their faces being the occasional twitch of an eyebrow or a slightly upturned lip.

"Fine,' Cody snapped, turning to Cassian. "Say bye to mommy and daddy, they're abandoning you for the night."

"Cody," I snapped, reaching out for the baby for a moment. I pulled Cassian close to my chest, pressing a kiss to his exposed forehead. "I'll be back soon." Rex gently followed my lead, speaking in a hushed tone in a language I did not recognize. 

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, ad'ika," he said softly. I turned to Cody who smiled softly, before mouthing a translation to me, 

"I love you, little one," he winked as he said it, causing me to smile sightly, as Rex gently handed the baby to Cody.

"Try not to have too much fun," Rex shouted over his shoulder, pulling me alongside him. "We'll be back before you even realize we left."


	12. 79's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021 everyone! I wish you all the best in the new year 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on the long awaited first real date chapter :)

I pulled my cyar’ika tightly to my side as we left the Senate apartments. I ensured she was on the inside of the sidewalk as we walked and made a point to block for her as we made out way through the lower levels. The Senator looked around us in awe as we walked. 

“I honestly do not think I have ever been to this part of the planet,’ she said softly as we passed a food truck that I had thrown up at far too many times to count. I smiled to myself, struck with how incredibly different out lives had been thus far. 

“This is all I really know,” I smiled slightly as we passed the seamstress shop I had found Jesse hiding in fairly often. After meeting the girl who caught his eye, I understood the appeal of spending as much time as he did there. Shots was honestly one of the nicest people I had ever met and Jesse was better off knowing her. 

We moved quickly through the underworld. I made sure to check over my shoulder at every pause. While the Senator was safe with me, I wanted to ensure that there were no mistakes today. I was doing this for her and needed to make sure that it went smoothly. My senator stayed close to my side throughout our walk.

“This is kinda our first date,” she smiled widely.

“It’s long overdue,” I chuckled, pulling her impossibly closer. For the first time in a while, I was not dreading 79’s but was actually relatively excited at the opportunity to let her see my brothers in a more casual setting. While it was risky taking her out, especially with the knowledge that there were still people looking to end her life, I found that I was beyond pleased that we had found a way to make it work.

Walking into 79's was always an event. I had never actually spent a full night at the bar, there was always something happening that needed my attention. As such, I was not the biggest fan of the bar. 

That night was no exception. We walked in to see Fives standing on a counter screaming obscenities at a 104th trooper. I sighed, rolling my eyes slightly as my attention was pulled from the woman beside me. I had left them alone for a day and already they were trying to find trouble with the Coruscant Guard.

“-And another thing, if Wolffe is the best CO in the army then how come he only has one eye,” Fives shouted, causing many of the men around him to turn. Beside his counter Olrun was grabbing at his keg, shouting up at him. The Senator paused beside me. 

“Is that-” she paused for a moment, squinting up at the man. I grunted in response, removing myself from her side to go handle whatever that was all about. She followed closely behind me as I shoved against the collected group of spectators. 

“Fives,” I yelled, catching my brother’s attention. “Get down, now.” Olrun smiled at me from beside him, stepping back slightly to allow the belligerent man to return to the floor, where he belonged.

“Captain,” Fives was slurring. He attempted to throw his arm around my shoulder, before pausing, an absolutely evil smile spreading across his face. “Sir, I see you brought a guest tonight. Whatever would the Senator think if she saw you with such a spectacular woman.”

“Watch yourself, “ I snapped at the same time Olrun elbowed him. I paused for a moment, realizing I was missing something about their relationship. I decided to let it go for a moment as my cyar’ika came to stand beside me. I put my arm around her and pulled her close, leveling a glare at Fives. “Why were you instigating something with the Wolfpack, again?” 

Fives simply shrugged, gesturing to us to follow him back towards the bar. Leading the Senator we approached a group of half dressed clones. For a moment I was confused, until I saw Jesse, hanging completely over the bar at Shots. She was playing along with him, laughing at what I am sure were lackluster jokes if the flush of his neck was anything to go by.

“A round for the best CO in the GAR,” Fives shouted at the woman. Shots turned to glare at him, her hands coming to rest on her hips in a stern manner. 

“I cut you off an hour ago,” she snapped. “Who is your supplier?”

“A man never gives away trade secrets,” Fives smiled widely at the bartender, moving aside so Olrun could take a seat beside Echo. The group turned to face me, immediately noticing the small woman beside me. 

‘Sir-”

“Is that-”

“It is-”

“Oh my-”

“Cuyan-”

“What is going on-”

The voices jumbled together as the assembled group processed the presence of the Senator. I noticed she was keeping close to my side and leaned down slightly, my lips just barely brushing against her ear.

“You’re safe,” I said softly. “You know every single one of these men.”

“I’m more worried about you getting into trouble for having me here,” she responded, eyeing Olrun for a moment. She turned slightly before her eyes widened.

“Shots,” her voice rose nearly three octaves when she spotted the bartender. Shots returned her enthusiasm, nearly launching herself over the counter to hug the Senator tightly. Standing uncomfortably beside them, Jesse and I exchanged looks.

“So, you’ve been keeping secrets,” Shots pulled back from their embrace, holding onto the Senator’s arms as they laughed together. 

“As have you,” she laughed, hugging her friend again. Jesse came to stand beside Shots, his arm wrapping comfortably around her waist. I mirrored my brother, pulling her closer to my side. 

“No wonder the Captain hasn’t been up my ass lately,” Echo shouted pointedly. “He’s finally getting some again.” 

‘Echo,” Kix snapped, turning to the man. “Is this really the time to taunt them?”

“HE tortured us,” Fives shrugged, backing up his brother. “He tortures everyone whenever they’re even remotely happy.”

“He’s been nothing but clueless about us, love,” Olrun snapped, immediately. I paused at this, before the Senator began laughing. 

“You remind me of a friend of mine,” she smiled widely at Olrun. Olrun simply nodded, her usual seriousness returning. 

“My sister,” she offered. “She’s told me much about you, Senator.” The Senator paused at this before deciding it was likely that Olrun meant her sister told her good things. THe two were evidently growing close. Somehow a glass appeared in front of me. 

“The usual,” Shots asked. I shook my head at this. 

“No reason to drown my sorrows tonight,” I laughed, handing her some credits. “Next round on me, keep whatever is left.” Shots smiled and began pouring, pausing for a moment as she counted. 

“Olrun, are you done for the night,” she asked, causing me to pause. The woman nodded and they continued as though the exchange had never happened. If that night taught me anything it was that I had spent the last year under a rock. I knew nothing about the relationships playing out in front of me. 

THe night began to blur as we conversed with my brothers. THe Senator was never far from my reach and appeared to be enjoying herself. Even Olrun appeared to lighten up, asking questions about Cassian and when she could meet him. As the bar began to settle around us, a loud conversation beside me caught my attention.

“The Commission is a farce,” the drunk clone beside me explained to his companion. “All they do is pretend to have our best interest at heart, just to overspend on needless additions which only serve to make our lives more difficult.” Beside me, the Senator paused in her conversion with Olrun. 

“That is not their biggest issue,” the man he was speaking to responded. “That Chairwoman-”

“She’s horrible,” the first man responded, loudly. Our entire group paused at this, eyeing the two clones for a moment. 

“Completely detached from the real world, she is,” the man continued, laughing. “Locked away in her little tower pretending to know what our best interests are when she cannot even handle a simple Bounty Hunter attack on her own.” 

The Senator rose from beside me, taking a deep breath. She smiled slightly, inclining her head towards the drunkards. I moved to stand as well, noticing the slight slump of her shoulders. She did the best she could to remain calm as we said our goodbyes. Nearly every person asked to visit our apartment before we left again, warming the Senator up slightly as we made our way back to the crowded streets.


	13. Clone Commission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Sorry for the delay once again, I kinda had a busy week. I will be setting up a schedule for myself shortly, but in the meantime, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think :)

I rose early the next morning, not because of Cassian, but rather because I had an important meeting to prepare for. Rex did not move as I quickly began assembling a fitting outfit for the day. His chest rose and fell peacefully as I watched. For the first time in a long time it appeared as though the Captain was at peace, the slight wrinkles around his eyes relaxed in deep sleep. With a sigh, I hurried into the refresher, allowing the water to warm for a moment before stepping into my shower. 

The events of the previous day were weighing on me. The drunk clones had not been wrong about calling me disconnected. If I was being honest with myself, I had no business being on the clone commission. I knew nothing of their struggles aside from the little bits I had learned from Rex. I sighed as I began washing my hair, allowing the thick steam of the shower to soothe me. I had enough to worry about today without the added stress of knowing that at least some of the clones I believed I was helping saw me as a farce. 

When I finally exited the shower, Rex was beginning to stir, his eyes tightly shut, he headed towards my side of the bed. 

“Cyar’ika,” he groaned, his eyes opening. “Why are you up?” I smiled slightly.

“Unfortunately, politics must be addressed,” I said quietly, attempting to allow Cassian to sleep for a while longer. He was only just sleeping through the night and I wanted to push him to see how late into the morning I could allow him to sleep. Rex seemed to understand my thoughts and quickly rolled out of the bed, leading me into the living room. 

“What do you have today,” he asked, his arms coming to cross across his chest. I smiled at the sight in front of me before answering. 

“Just one meeting this morning and then I am off for the rest of your leave,” I smiled. “Jai and I have ‘trade talks’ for the rest of the week.”

“She's covering for you,” he laughed. I nodded once. 

“Like I said, we have an understanding with one another, I protect her relationships and she protects mine." Rex nodded at this but did not respond. I began braiding my damp hair as he thought, not really thinking about it as I twisted and pinned it in place. 

"What meeting do you have," he asked, watching me intently. His brown eyes were transfixed upon my fingers as I worked to secure the last of my braids. 

"Clone Commission," I sighed. "I have to convince the Kaminoans that the issue is not a lack of funding but rather an over abundance of spending, which never goes well." Rex visibly stiffened at this, his face becoming harsh for a moment. I tilted my head at him, from what I had known, he was pleased with my involvement in clone politics. 

"Oh," he said simply, turning from me. 

"Rex, please, what are you thinking?"

"Cyar'ika, you and I are going to view cloning and the finances we utilize very differently," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I am trying to secure more funding for better equipment," I said simply, not understanding what he meant. 

"It's not that," he nearly snapped at me. "I just disagree with you on certain aspects of your policies but since you are the individual who most closely aligns with my interests I do not want to argue with you about it."

"If you have opinions, I am all ears," I responded, equally tense. Rex shook his head. 

"I just believe that there needs to be less active cloning and more preservation of the lives you have already paid for," he shrugged again, still not facing me. I was saved from answering by a soft knock on my door. I straightened myself as Rex turned back to face me. 

"THat'll be Jai, she is sitting in on today's meeting," I smiled tightly at Rex. "I would very much like to finish this conversation after my meeting." Rex nodded in response

"Would you mind babysitting for a few hours-" Rex laughed loudly at this, his entire form shaking. 

"It's not babysitting when its your kid,: he chuckled, nodding at me. The door opened and Jai entered, followed closely by Fox. Rex and Fox faced each other uncomfortably, their eyes challenging one another. Rex did not appear to notice that he was completely bare from the waist up. 

"Ready to go," I asked, smiling at my friend. She simply nodded in return. Her small bunny poking its head out of her bag. I laughed. "Hi, Wolffe."

"I'm sorry, what did you just call that-" Rex was struggling not to laugh as the tiny grey and white pet sniffled around. I tilted my head slightly. confused as he eyes Fox for a moment, the Commander's helmet hiding his response from me. Rex continued to laugh, reaching for his comm link, which had been discarded on the side table the night before. He began dialing, turning his back on us as he walked back towards our shared bedroom. 

"Civvie, get me Wolffe, I just learned something absolutely amazing," he laughed as the door slammed behind him. I turned back to Jai and Fox, who appeared equally amused. 

"I'm missing something," I stated as we walked towards my entryway, pausing only so I could grab my ceremonial robed from the hook by the door. Fox held the door for us as we exited into the hall. Jai simply smiled. 

"Fox named him," she chuckled as we made our way towards the meeting chambers. Fox did not speak as we walked, though his comm link beeped loudly as we went. Fox did not even have to answer before someone was loudly screaming from his wrist.

"You named a miniature, fluffy, creature after me," the man shouted, a small woman standing behind him silently laughing. The two had matching scars on their faces, though the clone also possessed a cybernetic eye. Suddenly the reason behind Rex's outburst made sense. Commander Wolffe had won the Chancellor's Medal of Honor just a few months previous, he was incredibly intimidating, as I recalled him from our short interaction. Though he had been glaring at someone the entire time I was congratulating him. Fox hung up on the man as we approached the chambers. 

"Presenting, the Chairwoman of the Commission," the clone guard shouted out upon my entrance. I held my head high as I entered, the assembled Senators rising from their seats in greeting. Jai followed quietly behind me, standing against the back wall, as I made my way to my raised precipice. 

"We are here today to discuss the upcoming spending bill," I began, eyeing each Senator as I mentally prepared for their numerous objections. "I am moving to discontinue the creation of new clones and focus our spending upon improving the equipment and livelihood of the men serving in the Grand Army of the Republic." 

It was as if I had set a bomb off in the chamber, the sheer amount of shouting my proclamation started. In particular the senators from Kamino and Umbara were furious with me, screaming of their disapproval of my motion. 

"If we discontinue cloning, there will be a shortage of men," the screamed in unison at me. I sighed at this. 

"Perhaps, if we improved the equipment provided to each man-"

"They are clones," the Kaminoan shouted. "They do not need to survive long, they only need to survive long enough to complete their duties." I very nearly snarled at his statement, pointedly not looking towards the four clones present in the room. IT was clear that many of my peers did not value the lives of their soldiers.

"That is inhumane," I snapped. "We are not the Separatists, we do not employ droids to fight out battles for us. These are living, breathing men, who deserve our respect-"

"I move to remove the Senator of Batuu from her position as chairwoman of this council," snapped the ridiculous woman. I glared evenly at the assembled Senators. No one moved to second her, causing me to smile slightly in victory. 

"If your outburst is over-" I began, smirking.

"I second," the Umbaran Senator said smugly. I paused at this, the meeting growing impossibly more silent as his words echoed. 

"We will hold an official vote in one week time," I said quietly. "I will inform the Chancellor."


	14. Visit

Returning to my quarters, I felt as though my life was ending. I had no intention of continuing my career in politics after this term, but knowing I was about to lose the single most important aspect of my career because the Umbaran and Kaminoan Senators did not like my ideals still hurt. Jai and Fox Followed closely behind me. The two talked quietly to themselves, Fox’s voice rising often in what appeared to be irritation. 

I did not speak as we returned to my apartments. Instead I slammed the door open and all but threw my cloak on the ground, stomping over it towards my living room. Rex was sitting on the couch Holding Cassian as he flipped through what I assumed to be one of my books. Upon closer inspection it was a collection of tales Jai had bought for Cassian not long after his birth. With a sigh I brushed into the bathroom, changing from my gown into something more comfortable.

When I arrived in my living room once again, Fox was speaking quietly to Rex as Jai carefully cradled Cassian. I approached her and lifted the baby into my arms. We coo’ed and began tugging at my hair. 

“My sister informed me that she will be visiting tonight,” Jai said softly. I nodded.

“I am excited to talk to her,” I smiled, momentarily pushing thoughts of politics from my mind. There was nothing I could do at the moment about my issues. I would send out the messages once Rex’s leave was over. 

“She’s great, just remember she can be a bit rough around the edges,” Jai laughed. Fox returned to her side, nodding slightly at me before informing her that they had other matters to attend to. The two left quietly, allowing my little family a few moments alone before our guests arrived.

“So, what happened,” Rex asked, coming to stand behind me. In my arms Cassian reached for him with a wide smile.

“They are calling for my removal from the Commission,” I said softly. Rex sighed, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed into his enbrace for a moment. 

“It will be a blow to all of us if they succeed, cyar’ika,” Rex said gently. I sighed again. 

“Nothing I can do about it tonight, I shrugged. “We should go prepare for Fives and Olrun’s arrival.” Rex simply nodded, taking Cassian from my arms once again. We both moved in tandem preparing the apartment for our friends. 

“Rex,” I called, realizing he was still wearing his blacks despite the fact he was on leave. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he said, absently brushing Cassian’s curls back from his face. 

“Do you own any civilian clothes,” I asked, careful with how I worded my inquiry. Rex shook his head. 

“Goes against regs,” he said simply. I nearly laughed at this, as he finally turned to me. 

“Do you want some,” I asked, raising my eyebrow. Rex simply shrugged. 

“I mean it would be nice, but I can’t afford that,” he said. I glared at him for a moment. 

“That’s not what I asked,” I snapped. “It’s a simple yes or no love.” 

“Yes,” Rex rolled his eyes. I nodded again, already sending a message to Shots. She responded immediately that she would send over some sketches for approval. Rex was speaking quietly to Cassian throughout the afternoon, mostly in Mando'a. The sound was incredibly comforting despite the fact I did not understand a word of it. 

"What are you telling him," I asked after Rex started what sounded like a new story. The Captain smiled up at me and whispered to the baby once again. 

"The important stuff," he smiled in false innocence. "I'm teaching him all about politics and how to change a power converter-"

"Rex," I warned. The man laughed, causing Cassian to pause for a moment before laughing along with his dad. 

"I'm just telling him all about his family, his clone family I mean," Rex smiled. "He needs to know that there are so many important men who gave up everything so I could be here with him from time to time." I smiled at this.

"Well, if you're going to tell stories, can you make it so I can understand them too," I asked. "You never told me much about what you've experienced on the battle field."

"Of course, cyar'ika, I was just telling him about the day I met his uncles Fives, Echo, and Hevy," Rex said softly. "Cody was there too." Rex began telling the story again, talking about his plan to use the head of one of the droids as a trick. He spoke for a long time before pausing for a moment, his tone turning to reverie. 

"We lost a lot of good men that day," he said softly, smiling slightly down at Cassian. "But your uncle Hevy, he was one of the bravest men I have ever met." As the story ended there was a knock on the door, followed by a shout as Fives rushed into the room. Coming in slowly behind him was Olrun, her irritation with Fives evident. However, she paused when she saw Rex rise with the baby. He gently handed Cassian to her before coming to stand beside me. 

"He's so sweet," she said softly looking down at him. "I understand why Fivees was so eager to get here." 

"I told you," Fives laughed, reaching for Cassian. "Now hand him over, I need to teach him about all the important things in life."

"What might those be," I asked, eyeing my friend. Fives shrugged at this. 

"Cuyan, I would never ever teach him something that-"

"Fives," I snapped in warning.

"I am just going to teach him the importance of respecting-"

"Fives," Rex snapped eyeing his brother. 

"He wants to teach him how to day Uncle Fives is the best," Olrun laughed. "He has a bet with Echo about who Cassian is going to love more." I laughed at this, shaking my head. 

"Cody has a jump start on both of you," I informed Fives, who began to pout. 

"Cuyan, how could you betray us like that?"


	15. Legends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Here's a soft update for all of you, something huge is coming so hang in there!
> 
> As always let me know what you think :)

The Senator was visibly upset as she paced the room, here comm link flashing incessantly. She looked as though she was about to cry. Olrun and Fives had left around an hour after dinner and my cyar’ika had not been calm since. SHe had even gone so far as to audibly sigh as the door shut behind them. For a moment, I considered grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to sit down. We were meant to be learning to be a family this week. 

I pushed the thought from my head after a moment, pulling Cassian closer so he could reach my shoulder better. Being a family meant that we had to learn with the unexpected aspects of life. If she could handle being without communication or news for weeks, I could handle helping her when her position was in question. 

“Cyar’ika,” I said softly. “How can I help?”

‘Cassian is going to need a nap,” she noted, barely looking at me as she processed the day. She continued pacing, clearly formulating her best course of action. I watched for a moment as her mind worked. AS I watched I could see her pulling together the pieces and coming up with a plan. She was making progress, I could tell just from the growing glint in her eye. 

These Senators would regret messing with her, I smiled, she would show them why she deserved the respect she commanded. I nodded once. Carrying our son into the dim bedroom. He bagan fussing when I attempted to step away. I stepped closer once again and placed my hand on his back, rubbing small circles as I had seen her do so many times before. 

He continued to stir and silently I began to panic. I needed to show my cyar’ika I could handle this. I could help her. Frantically I began thinking through the steps as she had done them. THen it hit me.

She would always tell him a story. I paused at the revelation, realizing none of my stories were appropriate for the circumstances. Thinking quickly, I gathered the baby in my arms once again and took aseat in the far corner. I quickly dialed Fives, knowing that he would have an idea for me.

“Miss me already,” he answered on the second ring. I chuckled at this, noting that Olrun was right beside him, her eyes concerned. 

“I need a bedtime story,” I said simply. Fives laughed at this before the woman shoved him. 

“I told you the story of the Nine, correct?” Olrun interrupted, I nodded, remembering the night she had taught the legend to some of us over dinner. 

“Perfect,” I said, hanging up and adjusting Cassian in my arms. 

“Alright, kid,” I said softly, unconsciously slipping into Mando’a as I addressed my son. “This is my first time doing this, so keep your criticisms to yourself.” The baby cooed at me and I smiled. My little guy would reserve his judgements. 

I began telling the story of the Great Invasion. The story began with Shori and Yuna as they sought the great knowledge keeper, Mimir.

“Think of Mimir like your mom,” I explained to him. “Anything you could possibly need to know, they knew it. Along their journey they met many others, making friends and facing many obstacles.” Cassian let out a small laugh at this. 

“One of these friends was Lord Jin,” I recalled, attempting to remember the specifics of the story. “Who joined the duo in their search for wisdom. When they reached the apex of the mountain they found others who were seeking the knowledge of Mimir. When the others left asked their question, and learned they would need a great many more allies including the World Serpent.”

As I spoke, Cassian’s eyes began to drop, his breathing evening out. I paused for a moment, before he began to stir. 

“The Scholar held Shori back and told her a secret. The group decided to go their separate ways, recruiting the best they could possibly find. In the West, Yuna sought her brother Taka and an old friend Kenji. To the North, Jin found Masako and Ishikawa. Finally, in the East Shori recruited Norio and Imu.”

The door to our room opened slowly, the Senator coming to stand on the wall across from me. She smiled at me, gesturing for me to continue as she settled. 

“The group reunited on Sarrus Beach and together began to drive the invaders from their land, standing alone as they protected their home. It was Shori who finally stepped forward, singing a song which caused the ground to quake and the ocean to thrash out as a creator rose before them. The Serpent towered above the Nine as Shori spoke to him, in a tongue none of the others could understand.”

I paused, the story slipping from my memory for a moment. Cassian shifted once again, gripping at my shirt. 

“She asked the Serpent to aid them,”the Senator interrupted, picking up exactly where my memory had begun to falter. Her Mando’a was imperfect and accented, as though she were struggling to remember the words. The humility of her words persuading him to help them on their mission. The rest of the Nine gathered the armies who had nearly abandoned them.”

“In that moment, Shori took note of the damage the invasion had wrought upon the beach,” I continued softly, smiling down at Cassian. “She realized that everything was at stake at that moment, from her family to her friends to her very planet.”

“The horn sounded thrice,” the Senator walked slowly to stand beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder. “The shouts of the soldiers ringing clear across the sandy terrain.”

“The battle sounded through all of Yggdrasil,” I continued. “From the back of the Serpent, Shori and her Nine managed to defeat the Invaders. Lord Jin striking the final blow.”

“And thus the Nine of Norma were created,” the Senator smiled, before gently taking Cassian from my arms. She placed him in the cradle before gesturing to me to follow her. We closed the door and came to stand outside, facing one another.

“Since when do you speak Mando’a,” I asked, smiling slightly. She shrugged. 

“I have been practicing since I found out about Cass,” she said softly, her eyes locked on my own. 

“Why,” I asked, drawing my eyebrows together. “You had no need-”

“I am not going to isolate Cassian from his culture,” she said softly. “His father is a Kaminoan clone of a Mandalorian. You speak Mando’a and if you had the opportunity to be here more often, so would Cassian. So, I was planning on teaching it to him.” I smiled widely, pulling her tightly to me in a burst of joy. 

“I love you,” I said without a second thought. “I would marry you right now if I could.” The Senator paused at this. 

“What’s stopping you,” she asked, pulling back only slightly. This caused me to pause. What truly was stopping me. 

“We would need someone to witness and make it official,: I said lamely. The Senator chuckled at this.

“I could call for Jai,” she said softly. I shook my head. 

“What if the Chancellor finds out,” I said softly. “I do not wish to make a criminal of you.”

“Love, we have been discrete thus far,” she reasoned. “We can continue to do so.”

“You want to,” I asked, feeling as though all of the pain was finally paying off. She simply nodded.

“Cyar’ika,” I said softly. “If you are serious, we can be married tomorrow.” She smiled widely as she pulled my head down towards hers, our lips meeting in a soft kiss.

“You pick the witness, I’ll pick the officiant.”


	16. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Here is is Part 1 of the Wedding I have been hinting at for a while now! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

My day had gone from absolutely horrible to spectacular, from one promise. I was beyond excited at the prospect of marrying Rex, especially given the fact that he was just as excited as I was. We wound up staying up late, planning the details of the ceremony. Through my position in the Senate, it was relatively easy to have a secret wedding, though we both agreed that we would invite our closest confidants to join us. 

What I had not anticipated was how far our secret had spread from the initial group of men who had come to meet Cassian only a few months before. One call to Jai, the next morning, and suddenly my datapad and Rex’s comm link were nearly constantly lighting up with incoming messages. Barely an hour had passed when Shots arrived, dragging Jesse behind her. The seamstress looked as though she had run a marathon, her smile scarily wide. 

“I have four designs,” she panted in the doorway. I waved the pair inside, watching as Jesse threw himself into my couch. Rex was leaning against the far wall, speaking in hushed tones to Cody. 

“Shots, I don’t-”

“I know you’re getting married,” she snapped. I raised my eyebrow at her. 

“How-”

“Word travels fast in the 501st,” She snapped impatiently. “Now do you want sleeves or are you thinking of a more casual look?”

“I was just going to wear my blue gown,” I said softly, looking over my shoulder at Rex, who was beginning to turn red. I grew nervous, he had just been informing Cody so he could act as our witness. Shots gasped at me. 

“I made that for Senate meetings, not your wedding,” she was horrified. Jesse groaned from the couch.

“Senator, please just humor her,” he sighed. “Or we’re both never going to hear the end of it.” I nodded once, watching as Shots began pulling together another design. She worked quickly, her hands moving deftly across the paper. Rex approached me and placed his hand on my waist 

“We have a sight problem,” he muttered softly into my hair. 

“What,” I asked, feeling my body tense. 

“Well, Cody apparently has a much bigger mouth than I expected,” Rex started. I groaned.

“How big is this getting,” I asked, refusing to look at him. 

“Well,” Rex faltered for a moment. “You know most of the list-”

“Rex, I need a number,” I snapped. 

“With our current list and the names I just got, we’re looking at around fifteen people, cyar’ika.”

“Rex, that’s bigger than most weddings on my planet,” I snapped. “This is supposed to be discrete.”

“He already invited Commander Wolffe,” REx admitted, ducking his head to rest on my shoulder. 

“I’ll need help preparing the apartment,” I said softly, looking around the space. IF I moved the couches back and brought in some extra seating, I could just make it work. Rex nodded and the two of us began rearranging furniture as Shots began pinning fabric to poor Jesse. 

The day itself moved quickly, with Rex and I somehow managing to secure everything we needed with little issue. The clones staggered their arrivals, so as to not appear suspicious.

Jai and Fox arrived first. The silver haired Senator escorting me away to help me with my hair. I attempted to object, but she simply threw Wolffe into my lap and began brushing through the tangles. We chatted softly in my room as she worked, only pausing to pass a now awake Cassian out to Rex. 

“Have you planned what you’re going to say,” she asked, nearly buzzing with excitement. I simply shrugged as the door to my room opened again. Olrun simply smiled as she joined us, before sitting on the bed to watch as Jai worked. 

“I have no idea, we only talked about this last night,” I admitted. Jai and Olrun laughed at this.

“It’ll come to you,” Jai promised, resuming her work. We sat in silence for another moment before the door opened again, this time Shots had another woman by the arm that I did not recognize.

“Senator, this is Doc, she’s been seeing Kix since he got back from your protection unit,” Shots smiled widely. “She pieces our boys back together more often than any of us would care to admit.” I smiled widely, thanking the blushing young woman. 

“I did not realize just how many-” I started, the door opened again, this time revealing a new woman. We all froze, my blood running cold. The young Jedi simply paused in the door frame for a moment, looking around slowly, from face to face. Her emotions were clearly visible across her face as she scanned the room. 

The girl was scared of us, much to my surprise. 

“May I help you, General,” I addressed the woman from my place at the vanity. The Jedi took a deep breath, before Cody appeared behind her. 

“Rex said that Queenie could hide in here until the festivities,” he said softly, his hand coming to rest on the Jedi’s hip. I nodded, realizing what was going on.

“I didn’t realize you were the type to so blatantly disregard regulations, Commander,” I teased the man, watching as the two visibly relaxed. Cody turned quickly on his heel as the Jedi entered, coming to stand against the back wall. She struck up a quiet conversation with Doc after a moment. 

“Did you really think Rex was the only clone who realized there is more to life than just war,” Olrun asked, reclining against the bed frame. I laughed at this, realizing that each of us bore the same secret.

“I honestly just-”

“You may be the original but you are far from the last,” Doc laughed, appearing to grow more comfortable as the room filled. I laughed with her as the door opened a final time. My laughter nearly doubled when I saw that the Civilian Auxiliary Commander entered, her scarred face a mask of uncertainty and joy as the door slammed shut behind her. 

“Uh,” her gaze snapped between the women for a moment. “Wolffe-” In my lap the bunny stirred at his name. 

“Civvie,:’ I greeted, remembering the nickname. “Join us, we’re almost ready now.”

“Sorry we’re late, the Commander was-” A loud shout came from the living room, causing most of the women to scramble to their feet. All who had faced the war were on edge for a moment before a chorus of laughter came from the sitting room. 

“We came from the Infinity,” she said softly by way of explanation. “When Cody called, he said we had to come.”

“Of course you are welcome here,” I smiled. The room once again descended into soft chatter as we all finished getting ready. Shots and Jai helped me into the new gown, the soft fabric clinging to me perfectly. Slowly the women all left the room, leaving me and Jai alone for a moment. 

“Are you ready,” she asked, her eyes beginning to mist over. I shook my head, knowing that there was one last thing I needed to do.

“Jai, on Batuu, it is traditional to have someone present you to your betrothed,” I said softly. “Usually, it’s a parent or family member.”

“Oh,” Jai paused at this. “I’m sure Rec will understand.”

“Jai, his name is Rex and that’s not what I mean,” I chuckled at my friend. “I was wondering if you would like to be the one to do that for me. I don’t have much in the way of family anymore-”

“You want me to present you,” Jai’s voice shook as she spoke. I nodded. The woman smiled widely at me, taking my hands in her own.

“I would be honored,” she said softly. “Let me go tell Fox, I will be back in a moment.” I smiled and watched my friend trot into the main apartment once again, her long black dress flowing behind her. The moment she left I took a small step back, looking at myself in the mirror behind my door for a moment. 

Since my near execution on Geonosis, I had rarely looked in the mirror. I found that seeing my face reminded me of the pain of the losses I had experienced on that day too much. Looking in that moment, I noted the tight draw of my eyes and the way my lips pressed against one another, a new harshness I had never had before. 

I sighed, realizing that the stressors of my life were finally catching up with me. I sighed, running my hands along the front of the gown. From the other room there was a new voice added to the mix, though I paid no attention to it. The small wedding I had imagined had quickly developed into something larger but no less intimate. 

Jai returned after a moment, smiling softly. 

“They’re almost ready, Vinur,” she smiled, looping her arm through my own. “Do you know what you want to say yet?” I nodded, taking a deep breath.

“I hope so,” I smiled. 

“Good,” my friend offered me comfort by squeezing my arm gently. “I should warn you, my sister Eir is on the holoprojector.” I smiled at this, remembering how often I had called her asking for medical assistance throughout my pregnancy.

“Is she-”

“Commander Bly,” Jai smiled. I nodded at this, listening to the soft music playing from the other room. “That’s our cue, are you ready?”

“As I will ever be,” I smiled, tensing my shoulders. “I’m more nervous about this than I was on Geonosis.”

“We don’t have time to unpack all of that,” Jai laughed. “But remind me to have my sisters check your mental state later.”


	17. Vows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a wedding!!!
> 
> Two quick notes: One I have to thank my real life significant other for actually writing Rex's vows for me as I was struggling. He has asked me to inform my dear readers that I am in fact an individual "without a romantic bone in my body" 
> 
> I agree with him. 
> 
> Secondly, Thank you all for being so understanding with my updates. I recently lost a family member and have had a difficult time finding time to update these stories as we are processing that. 
> 
> Thank you all for your continued support and any feedback would be greatly appreciated :)

Jai pulled me through my bedroom door, into a completely transformed space. Around the room, there were no longer the toys of a small child. Somehow, the room looked as though it was a banquet hall, complete with my table, set to perfection with enough food to feed an army placed around the center. Rex had obviously enlisted his brothers to make my living room more regal, the couches and chairs pushed along the sides to create a traditional isle. Looking quickly around the room I noted that the couples who had assembled had split up so that some of the men were standing alongside Rex.

Fives had his hand on Echo’s arm, the two smiling widely as Jai and I slowly walked towards them. Fives elbowed Rex, who shot him a dirty look as I approached. From her seat Olrun wiped at her eyes slightly, a projection of Eir all but blubbering at her side. The Commander standing behind, who's name I did not know, her placed one hand on her shoulder, looking bemused as the woman fanned at her face in an attempt to preserve her makeup. 

Behind Olrun, Kix and the Doc stood together, muttering quietly to one another and providing a seemingly endless supply of tissues to Shots, whom Jesse was all but holding up. 

"It's just so beautiful," she sobbed, wiping messily under her eyes as Kix rolled his eyes, handing another paper to the woman. I almost laughed seeing Jesse attempt to console her, his usual joking manner suppressed as he attempted to quiet the woman. 

After a moment I realized Cassian was nowhere to be seen and began to panic. Jai squeezed my arm. My friend pulled me closer, her silver hair brushing against my shoulder. 

“Look to your left,” she said softly. With my peripheral vision I noted that Commander Wolffe was holding my son tightly to his chest. He was glaring in Rex’s general direction, though I noted he was gently swaying Cassian as a parent would their child. At his side Civvie was smiling, her arm at Wolffe’s elbow. Of the people assembled in the room, the two appeared to be the most on edge, both of them scanning their surroundings constantly. I let out an unconscious sigh as I moved closer. 

As we reached the end of the makeshift aisle, Fives and Echo both left Rex's side. Echo softly touched my elbow as he passed, smiling slightly as he nodded at Jai beside me. With a bow Jai stepped away from my side, joining Fox alongside her sisters. Echo and Fives took their places beside Olrun, the entire room falling silent as they waited for what was to come.

Rex chuckled as he took my arm. For the first time in a while, he appeared to be relaxed, the slight wrinkles around his eyes smoothing as he smiled down at me.

“You look amazing,” he said softly. He had donned his dress uniform for the first time since I had met him. It was odd seeing him without the blue and white of his 501st gear. I almost wished he had decided to wear his plating, as it was how I knew him best. From the look of it, he had worn it very little, obviously preferring his armor as I did. I smiled, noticing the small pin resembling the jaig eyes of his helmet. Rex followed my gaze. “A story for another night.”

“Listen up, you lot,” Cody snapped from in front of us. I forced myself to stifle my laugh at his abrupt shout. A quick look towards Queenie told me that she was also amused at the brisk tone he was using. The Jedi stood by the back of the apartment, her back firmly against the wall, as if she was guarding the entrance against a potential attack. 

“Why is the rabbit rubbing me,” snarled Wolffe glaring towards Fox and Jai. Beside me, Rex sighed. 

“It’s going to be a long night,” he groaned. I nodded, realizing we had quite a volatile group assembled around us

“His name is Wolffe and he is trying to love you,” snapped Jai. 

"So this is the beast that Commander Copy Cat-"

‘Silence,” Cody snapped. The room quieted once again. ‘We have a thing to do and then you can all go back to hating one another.”

“A thing?” Fives was cackling now. Olrun shot him a nasty look which put even the scarred Commander, holding my son, to shame. 

‘Moving along,” Cody continued with an eye roll. “Our little brother has decided to get married today.” Rex and I exchanged looks, knowing full well that of the assembled clones Rex was older than most. We both decided to ignore it as Cody continued. I tuned out the majority of his speech, instead focusing on the man in front of me. Rex appeared to do much the same.

“Mate, do you have anything you want to say to the lady,” Cody snapped when Rex missed his cue. 

“Uh, I didn’t think this far ahead,” Rex scratched the back of his neck. “I suppose, I should start by saying when I met you I believed you to be the single more irritating human being I had ever met-”

“Mate,” Jesse shouted, causing Shots to smack at him. 

‘Right,” Rex continued. “You were disrespectful, arrogant, demanding, and you snored.” 

“I did not,” I snapped. Rex nodded. 

“A little bit, but that’s off topic,” he sighed. “What I am trying to say is that I never expected to actually care for someone as much as I care for you. If I am being honest, I never thought I would care about you in the slightest. That being said, I would not trade you or our family for the universe. You single handedly changed my world the day Senator Amidala called for our help and I promise to show you just how much I am grateful for it. Ibi'tuur. Nakar'tuur. Ratiin.”

“What does that mean,” Civvie muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Wolffe. I assumed she believed her question was quiet enough that I would not catch it. 

“Today. Tomorrow. Always.” He said back, not bothering to lower his tone. I smiled, recognizing that Wolffe was trying to help in his own, slightly misguided way. 

“The next one of you to interrupt is getting sanitation duty,” Cody snapped. I laughed again, not bothered in the slightest. I was marrying a man who legally did not have the right to be married, surrounded by couples who legally should not be together. A few interruptions did not bother me in the slightest, as long as everyone was as happy as I was. “Senator, your turn.”

“Like you, when we first met, I truly did not like you very much,” I admitted to Rex. WE smiled at one another again, remembering our early arguments. “My only regret now, is that I had not threatened you so early on in our journey together-”

“She did what,” Olrun muttered, looking slightly angry. Fives shot her a look which said he would tell the story later. I had a feeling the woman was a bit protective. 

“You have been a source of strength and protection to me from the moment I met you. You have done nothing but attempt to make my world a safe place to live in. Most importantly, you have saved me from my own flaws, more often than I can count. I promise to you that I will only act in the best interest of our family. Ibi'tuur. Nakar'tuur. Ratiin.”

“With the power vested in me through the Grand Army of the Republic, I cannot legally marry you,” Cody smiled widely at this. Rex and I both paused at this, surprised by the sudden turn. From Cody’s wrist a comm came through. A woman with wings who I had only ever seen once before flashed in front of us. A hush fell over the room as the assembled Normians began muttering. 

“How-”

“Jai what did you do,” Olrun snapped. My friend shrugged, smiling widely.

“Sigrún,” Irene gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Lady Sigrún smiled over towards the women, looking fondly upon the assembled group. 

“I, Lady Sigrún of the Rocstóll aff Niu, hereby proclaim for all to hear that Captain Rex and his Senator have been granted legal matrimony under the laws of the Yggdrasil Empire. Through their continued alliance and support of the Empire, we offer both our unwavering thanks and congratulations.” 

The room erupted into cheers as the hologram ended. Rex pulled me in close, kissing me as though his entire world depended upon it. 

In that moment, everything that had happened no longer mattered. The spy was a thought of the past. The rights of clones, while still harshly disputed, had been circumvented.

For the first time since I had met the Captain, I felt free. I felt as though even the Separatists could not touch me, as they had lost and I was finally happy.

Once the ceremony ended, we all gathered together to talk for a time. Wolffe seemed intent upon keeping Cassian in his arms, even going so far as to glare at anyone who attempted to look at the baby for too long. 

“You should have told me,” he told Rex when he finally managed to get his attention. “I am great with kids.” From beside him, Civvie laughed, her eyes flashing in humor. 

“You have your own issues to be concerned with,” Rex responded with a shrug, finally managing to get Cassian from his brother’s arms. “After all the Chancellor sent out warnings to all units specifically because of your apparent interest in Civvie, here.”

“Still a shame that her transfer did not become official,” Cody chucked, elbowing Wolffe playfully. From beside him the General cleared her throat, crossing her arms across her chest.

‘Might I remind you, that if the Auxiliary Commander had actually transferred as the Chancellor wished you never would have met me,” she snapped, a dramatic sigh following the proclamation.

‘Queen-” Cody’s laugh was cut short by a resounding bang from outside the window. In horror, we all turned to face the wide windows which overlooked the city below. A second bang sounded as something large slammed against the window again. 

The group all moved forward slowly, eyeing the window. Jai quietly handed me Bunny Wolffe as Rex handed Cassian to Shots. The third bag was followed immediately by a thin red light coming through the window, the beam landing directly on my chest. 

“Get down,” Cody snapped over his shoulder as the entire window crashed inwards, sending glass flying in all directions. My back hit the ground hard as Civvie slammed into my side, knocking me down as something flashed past us, slamming directly into the picture of Rex and I hung over my mantle. 

My ears were ringing as I attempted to sit up, the bunny still gripped in my arms. From a distance I could hear Cassian begin to cry.

Then the shouting began.


	18. The Hunt- Rex's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> So I have a snow day today and I just really needed to write this already so I do hope you all enjoy! A lot is about to happen here so bare with me I promise all will make sense soon!

As the glass exploded inwards, I turned in horror realizing that my cyar’ika was standing completely still, in line with the trajectory of the blast. My world slowed down as it only ever did in the heat of battle. Suddenly, I could feel every flex of my muscles. I saw everything and nothing at once. 

Around me my brothers moved in slow motion, tackling anyone who was not as experienced in combat. Jesse managed to take down Shots with my son gripped tightly in her arms, the two rolling behind a couch as the glass fell. The woman shrieked as they fell, rolling so her back hit the ground hard. As I watched, Kix managed to grab Doc as well, the two managing to land more gracefully than the others. Only my Senator remained standing, too far away from anyone to be safely moved. 

Around me everyone moved, as I turned in horror to see the thin red line of a sight level itself in the center of the Senator’s chest. Her chest rose rapidly, as her eyes met my own. I began scrambling back to her, knowing that I was too far away to get her down in time.

The banging on the glass had worked, I had left her exposed as I had moved towards the source of the potential threat, as my training dictated. 

“Get down,” I snapped towards her, watching as her eyes grew wide in realization, the small animal in her arms wiggling as if it knew the danger it was in. Around the room, everyone began shouting at her. Wolffe and Cody both lunged forward in attempts to reach her in time. The two were significantly closer than I wasn't, though their reactions were delayed due to the shock of the situation. Wolffe was snarling as he reached forward, his hand just missing her arm. Then a small flash of silver and white launched past him. 

As I watched, Civvie threw herself against my new wife. Both women let out nearly identical grunts as they fell to the floor. The two tumbled to the floor as the assembled group lunged forward. I hit the ground beside them as a blast passed over us, destroying the image so lovingly placed in the entryway. 

I took a moment to make sure cyar’ika was alright, before rising to my feet. Cassian shrieked from across the room, though from the look on Jesse’s face I knew he was startled not injured. Instinctively, I looked towards the decimated window as the sirens began to sound around us. In the distance I could just make out the flash of the sight as the sniper attempted to escape. 

The world began to move once again as the assembled group realized what was happening. 

“Lets go,” I snapped, noticing that the group appeared to be waiting for an order. With a cry Jai and Olrun raced forward, their weapons appearing in their grasps as they lunged from the window together. In awe, I realized the two would likely be the two to catch whoever it was who had endangered us all. Fox whistled before coming to stand on my right. 

Wolffe raced after the women, grabbing his helmet from the chair he had only just vacated as he ran towards the open space. He waved at me as he passed, gesturing to the Auxiliary Commander to set up a connection, She nodded once, moving towards the thankfully intact terminal in the Senator’s office. 

“This is the Auxiliary Commander checking in to ensure connection,” she called from the room. The clones around me all turned on their links to her frequency. 

“Copy that,” Wolffe answered. “I have eyes on both the Senator and Liaison. What’s the play?” 

“Get the sniper,” I snarled into my comm already formulating. “We’re on our way.” 

Without pause, the rest of the squad began moving. The General raced forward igniting her orange lightsaber as she ran. With a laugh, she flipped herself off of the window, her blade illuminating her as she landed on top of a passing transport. Cursing, Cody followed behind her, half waving at me as he threw himself after her, jetpack igniting as he cleared the broken panes. 

“Echo, Kix, Jesse,” I snapped over my shoulder already following them. “Secure the Senator. Fives with me.” My men did not hesitate, falling into a defensive position as they wrangled my wife, son, Shots, and Doc together. 

For her part, the Senator appeared unphased by the entire situation, still holding the pet to her chest. She was not crying or even shaking as Jesse pulled her to cover behind the now wrecked couch. Whoever did this had picked a bad night to go after her. 

“Yes, sir,” the men moved quickly, all but wrangling the remaining people into our bedroom. Cassian was sobbing loudly in Shots arms as Jesse ushered them away from the open windows. Fives joined Fox by my side in an instant, already pulling his helmet over his head. 

“Call in the Guard,” I snapped towards the Commander. “Civ, keep the connection online, we are ending this tonight.” Moving quickly, I jumped out of the window, landing alongside Fives on the passing transports. In the distance, I could just make out the orange lightsaber. Fives sighed beside me.

“When we get back to the ship, we should really put in for the jetpacks,” he observed. I groaned in agreement, jumping from our transport to the next. We were behind but I knew we could catch up. 

“The one time I dress up,” I snapped, the arm of my uniform tearing as I caught myself from nearly falling to my death. Over the comm link, I heard Wolffe laugh. 

“Keep up old man,” he laughed. “Some would think you’re losing your edge.” 

“Not a good time,” I snapped in response, jumping to a lower level of traffic in an attempt to gain some distance. 

“I have eyes on the threat,” Olrun snarled into the comm link. “Nowhere to go.”

“Immobilize them,” I snarled. “No one acts until I get there.” 

“Yes, sir,” the General responded. In the distance I watched as she launched herself higher, Cody’s jetpack a clear stream beside her. 

“Did she just-” Fives bagan. I simply shrugged. 

“I don't think the chain of command matters tonight,” I shrugged. "This one is personal." 

Fives and I were the last to reach the building the shots had come from. From overhead we could just make out the shouting of the assembled group, they had found someone. Fives and I ran towards the commotion, skidding to a halt when we finally made it to the group. A lone man dressed in all back was being pinned to the wall. Cody had his fist cocked back, the man's nose already bleeding.

"Commander," I shouted over. Cody half turned to me, his eyes flashing in anger. The man in his arms groaned, his head turning towards me. To my horror, the face was my own. 

A clone. 

A clone had been trying to kill my wife. 

"Why don't you tell the Captain what you just told us," Cody snarled. Beside him the General extinguished her blade, extending her arm towards the traitor. She muttered low under her breath for a moment.

"You will tell us what you know," she said softly, her voice causing all of us to pause. 

"The Senator is a threat to the very seat of power she monopolizes," the man snarled, his voice strained. "She wastes her days championing the rights of men who are little more than pawns in the game." I sighed as Cody dropped the man roughly. 

"Same shit as always," Fives muttered beside me, his blasters leveled at the vod. "Let's end this."

“Slow down," I snapped towards the clone. "We need to know who he is working for." 

"I work for peace," he snapped. Beside Fives, just to my left, Olrun laughed, jabbing the man roughly in his side. 

"Try again," her taunt hung heavily in the air for a moment. 

"Who sent you,” I snapped slamming the man into the far wall. His body was all but limp in my grip. I dropped him harshly on his side, kicking him as he fell. 

Groaning he curled in on himself heaving. I had just begun reaching for him when Jai appeared at my side, her abilities causing the man to slam into the wall once again, his limbs splayed as though he was being sacrificed.

“Speak,” she snarled, her hair whipping in the wind around us. "Before I kill you for endangering a friend of Yggdrasil." 

“I work for no one,” he responded between gasping breaths.

“Try again,” Wolffe snarled, grabbing his hand and wrenching his finger back. “We don’t have time for this, vod.”

"Let me fill you in on something," The General spoke again, her eyes flashing. Cody placed his hand discretely on her shoulder, causing her to shake him off. "Do you see all of these people around you?"

The man opened one eye, slowly observing just how many people had come to kill him. He nodded once.

"You have two of the Nine of Norma, a Jedi, two Marshall Commanders, an ARC Trooper, and a pissed off Captain," she snarled. "Plus the entirety of the Coruscant Guard on their way," her voice dripped with an authority I had only ever seen on General Skywalker. Her tone was so dark it appeared as though the wind was picking up around us, electricity hanging heavily in the air. The Senator and Olrun exchanged looks, before turning to face the General. "Now you are going to tell us exactly who you are working for and then we will show you mercy by executing you."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, the assembled realizing just how dire the threat was. The Bounty Hunter sat up slightly, his eyes meeting my own. His breathing was heavy.

“Sidious,” he gasped, eyes widening in terror. Around us the air hummed with electricity as the rain began to fall. Lightening stretched across the sky, slamming directly into the Bounty Hunter. Around me there were shouts as my friends jumped away from the electricity. The weather changed in a moment, as sudden as the rain fell it ended, leaving only the smell of burnt meat and charred remains behind. 

The traitor was no more. Pausing, we all looked at one another.

"I suggest," the General said softly. "That we split up. It is going to look suspicious if we all beat the Guard here." There were murmurs of approval around us. Together, we all left the Jedi behind, as she sunk to her knees in front of the scorched remains. Cody paused as we walked. 

"I will stay with the General," he said softly, looking at her for a moment. "Something happened and I have a feeling she knows more than she is letting on." I nodded.

"I will let-"

"Enjoy your wedding night, little brother," Cody laughed, elbowing me softly. "For tonight, she should be safe. We will discuss in the morning."

The rest of us returned to the apartment in near silence. Red armored troopers were over every inch of the apartment, looking for anything they could use. Fox spotted us and gestured for his men to search the rest of the building.

'What happened," he asked, pulling me into the next room. I kept my description short, knowing that Wolffe and the others would fill him in later. 

"She needs to get off the planet," Fox muttered to me. "The target is only growing larger by the day and this is the second time one of the vod-"

"We don't know if the spy on Geonosis was actually a clone," I snapped. "Something is happening here-"

"Which is exactly why she needs to run, again," Fox snapped back at me, his voice rising. From behind him, someone cleared their throat. 

"I will not run," my cyar'ika snapped, coming to stand beside the Commander. Cassian was resting peacefully in her arms, as though the night had not been a complete disaster. "Never again."

"Senator-"

"No," she snapped. "I am tired of running. I will stay here." Fox groaned, throwing his hands up in the air.

"You know what, I finally see it," he snapped. "The two of you are the most stubborn-"

"I have plans to travel to Batuu next week, following the vote," she said softly. "I will not change that visit for anything." 

"Cyar'ika," I said softly, reaching towards her. "You may not have a choice in-"

"It is the ceremony celebrating the lives of my parents," she snarled, pulling herself from my side. "I am not going to miss it because some Bounty Hunter-"

"It was a clone," I snapped at her. 'A clone took that shot at you tonight, they knew exactly what they were doing and how we were trained to respond." 

"A clone, a Jedi, who cares," she snapped. Fox looked between us for a moment, obviously uncomfortable. The others slowly approached, Olrun and Jai hanging back slightly, discussing amongst themselves. 

"I am recommending immediate removal from Coruscant," Fox pressed. My Senator only rolled her eyes at this, glaring at me. 

"No."

"No?"

"No." 

"Cyar-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Fine," I groaned. "You're going to get yourself killed just so you can go visit Batuu." She glared at me. I had obviously crossed a line.

"If it's so important to you that I have protection, the 501st can take me," she snarled. Beside me Wolffe chuckled. 

"You two obviously have a lot to discuss," he laughed. "Congratulations and I will be in touch about the future of this investigation." Around him the others nodded, all leaving except for Jai and Fox.

"I need the whole story now," my wife snapped at me, handing Cassian over to Jai. "I need it now."


	19. Cassian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Big things are happening here so hang on tight!
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think :)

“Good morning, Chancellor,” I greeted early the day after Rex returned to the 501st. Following our wedding and the attack on my apartments, Fox and Rex had helped me move into an apartment away from the Senate buildings. Rex had managed to stay for the rest of the week, helping me move in and unpack our now shared belongings. He had kept much of his investigation of the incident from me, only stating that he had informed the General and would be working with the Jedi to create a task force to deal with the matter.

I did not appreciate the fact I was being iced out of the very investigation they had deemed to be closed despite my objections, but chose not to argue with my husband as he appeared worse for wear. The bags under his eyes were the worst I had ever seen them, causing me great concern. Instead of arguing further, I simply agreed with him and began working on an investigation of my own into what could possibly be happening. 

I was determined to protect the family I had finally found. 

With Rex returning to the fleet, I was fully back to work, meaning that I would be spending time in public once again. Rex had been rather irritated when i had implied I would be doing so without guards. After a long argument and some choice words, I was to be under constant surveillance, much to my annoyance.

At that moment, I was being trailed by two of Wolffe’s men. Rex had been rather pleased with the idea of Wolffe sending Sinker and Comet to keep an eye on me while he returned to work. I was already mentally planning on losing the both of them the first chance I got. I was tired of the constant need to be protected. I was a grown woman with a child, I could handle something as ridiculous as a few rouge clones. 

“Ah, Senator,” the man turned to greet me, gesturing towards the plush chairs in front of his desk. “Sit, we have much to discuss.”

“So it seems,” I agreed, settling in the chair. “I wish to speak to you about the Clone Commission.”

“Are you referring to the proposed vote,” the Chancellor asked. “Because you should be aware that I am not allowed to interfere with-”

“Not at all, I am simply asking when it will be taken to the Senate Chambers,” I said softly. “I must prepare for-”

"The vote can wait until after your scheduled trip to Batuu,” the Chancellor interrupted me with a wave of his hand. “I can assure you that no one, not even the other Senators, will fault you for wishing to attend the festival.”

I nodded once, appreciative that the Chancellor appeared to support the trip. The memorial for the events of the previous year had me on edge and I did not want the threat of losing my most important appointment to be hanging over my head as we celebrated the lives of my parents.

“Thank you, Chancellor,” I said softly. The man paused.

“I would like to speak to you about the safety precautions you will be taking on your journey.”

“I am scheduled to make the trip tomorrow,” I responded quickly. “There is no time to find a suitable protection detail.”

“I have the 104th on standby,” the Chancellor interrupted, gesturing towards the two clones waiting by the door. “I had a meeting with their Commander and his Coordinator this morning, they would be delighted to accompany you.”

“That is not necessary,” I responded, far too quickly. “The last thing I want is to be a drain in the very spending I am hoping to limit.”

“Your safety is not a drain,” the Chancellor argued. “This is not going to be another extended mission where you spend months in hiding, just a week.”

“I would rather not,” I shook my head. “I am sure that-”

“The recent attack on your apartments and the reports I received from the Jedi as a result tell me there is every reason to take precautions. We would not want anything to happen to you or your son.” 

“That was an isolated event,” I responded, suddenly unsure of my resolve. Cassian deserved to be protected even if I did not think there was a reason to worry. Something about the way the chancellor spoke of Cassian set me on edge. As thought the man was threatening my son as he spoke.

The thought was absolutely preposterous. 

“I’m afraid this decision has already been made,” the man said, finality ringing in his tone. I sighed, knowing no matter how hard I argued I would not win.

“So why pretend to ask?”

“I am a politician,” the Chancellor laughed. “We must give the illusion of freedom, or we are not doing that which we were appointed to do.” I paused at this, concerned with the way the Chancellor decided to phrase his thought. 

“Thank you,” I responded, instead of arguing further. “I suppose I should return home and begin preparing for the trip.” 

“I believe that to be best,” was his response as I rose, with a nod in his direction. “Oh and Senator?”

“Yes,” I asked, turning back as I reached Sinker and Comet. 

“A word of advice,” he smiled softly. “I do not recommend becoming too attached to this particular group of clones. We would not want a repeat of last time.” I nodded once, concerned with his implication. For a moment, my blood ran cold, concerned he knew the truth I had worked so hard to conceal.

“Last time,” I asked, my tone clipped, despite my best effort.

“I’ve noticed a trend of people becoming very dependent upon the clones they are assigned to as of late,” he responded simply, nodding towards the door. I nodded once, thanking the Chancellor as we exited the chambers. Behind me Sinker was speaking in hushed tones to his commander. 

“Commander Wolffe has asked us to escort you directly to the Infinity,” he explained to me as we exited the Senate building. I nodded absently at this. I was too caught up in mentally planning what I would need for the week that I failed to notice that the clones were trying to steer me towards the landing platforms. 

“Senator,” Comet interrupted me as I walked, touching my arm gently. “The ship is this way.”

“I need to stop home-”

“Uh, we were told that would be handled for you,” Comet rubbed the back of his helmet for a moment, clearly uncomfortable correcting me. I simply sighed. 

“Am I supposed to leave my baby here,” I laughed. “I need to go home to get him.”

“-he sent Civvie.” 

“Who does this Commander think he is,” I snarled, whirling on the man. Without another word I stormed towards the platforms, boarding the Infinity without so much as a backwards glance. The two clones followed closely behind me, clearly interested in seeing what I was about to do. I stalked through the unfamiliar halls as quickly as my feet could manage. 

I did not know where I was going, only that I needed to get there to tell the Commander exactly what I thought of his little stunt. As I walked, I caught sight of the Auxiliary Commander, her hair, nearly identical to my own catching in the light as she entered the mess hall.

“Senator,” she greeted me, pausing in her steps. In her arms Cassian was babbling, reaching towards me. Without hesitation she handed me my son. "I was just trying to find something small for him, he keeps trying to eat the equipment." I nearly laughed a this, noting that the woman appeared to be overwhelmed by the baby. 

“Where is the Commander,” I snapped at the woman. She paused at this before nodding.

“For the record, I told him it was a bad idea,” she said, gesturing for me to follow her. “I said that we should wait at the house for you to return and pack.” 

“He should listen to you more,” I seethed. The woman laughed at this, pulling a datapad seemingly out of nowhere as we walked. 

“I should’ve recorded you saying that,” she chuckled. “I’ve been saying it for nearly two years now.” Pushing open a door, we stood in a room with a holotable in the center. Wolffe was standing off to the side, clearly deep in conversation with a clone I could not quite see as we approached.

“Commander Wolfle,” I snapped, causing the man to snap away from his call. “On what authority did you take my son from his home, without my consent?”

“Ah, Senator,” Wolffe greeted, his cybernetic eye catching in the light in such a manner it appeared as though he winked. “I was simply-”

“Wolffe-y,” Civvie interrupted him, the nickname a stark contrast to the serious man before us. The Commander glared at her as she spoke, as though they regularly argued about the name. “You should probably just apologize.”

“You have no right to take an infant from his home,” I snarled, coming to stand in front of the man, my finger jabbing into his chest.

“I-”

“No,” I snapped. “You all but kidnapped my son when you knew I was not home-”

“Dada,” Cassian said softly from my arms as I shouted at the man. The room fell silent as I turned to look at the baby.

“What did you just say,” I asked, looking down at the child balanced on my hip.

“Dada,” he shouted again, pointing towards the hologram. Rex stood wide eyed staring at us, as we all processed what had just happened.

“How old-” The Auxiliary Commander began looking up from her datapad. Mentally, I thought back to all of the parenting books I had read over the past year.

Most children began speaking at around a year old. 

Cassian was only six months.

“Not old enough,” I said softly, horror setting in. I pulled him closer to my side, noticing the clear shift in the room. In the hologram, Rex appeared to gulp.

Cassian was not aging normally after all.


End file.
